McWilliams dedicates finish to Dunlop.

Jeremy McWilliams came close to breaking Britain's grand prix drought at Donington Park, but was still sufficiently moved by his achievement to dedicate his third place to hero Joey Dunlop.

The Irish legend - a hero of McWilliams' for a long time - was killed in a road race in Estonia a week before the British Grand Prix, and news of his death had badly affected his fellow Ulsterman as he attended last weekend's British Superbike Championship meeting at Silverstone.

The Aprilia rider came to Donington determined to try and win the grand prix in Dunlop's memory, but a disappointing qualifying - which included a high-side accident on Friday - restricted him to 15th on the grid. Just as he was thinking that his chances of a good finish had gone, however, some traditional British rain arrived, and helped McWilliams get to the front of the race, which he led for a long time in its mid-part.

Only a drying track, and the gradual disintegration of his tyres, allowed Valentino Rossi and Kenny Roberts Jr to squeeze past in the closing moments, but McWilliams was pleased enough with his second podium of the year to honour his hero with it.

''I'm happy enough to be on the podium, '' he said, ''This has been a difficult week for Irish motorsports, and this result is in Joey's memory.''