BIKE racer Craig Kelly is aiming to follow in the tyre tracks of Grand Prix star Jeremy McWilliams as he bids to win this year's MRO 250cc title.

For the Clayton-le-Woods rider has bought the Honda RS250 used by in 1997 by the Irishman, who now races for the Italian Aprilia team in the World Championship.

"The machine has a great pedigree, having been built by Queen's University in Belfast as an engineering project and ridden by McWilliams in the British Championship.

"I'm just keeping my fingers crossed it will do the same for my career as it did for his," explained Kelly, who works as a machinist for British Aerospace at Samlesbury.

But the 26-year-old has already proved he can mix it with the best national riders with a string of good results since starting out in 1993.

Encouraged by his stepfather Brian McKitterick, a TT and Irish road race regular, and brother Martin, who raced in the National Championship, Kelly began competing in local club races at the Three Sisters and Aintree, before moving up to the ACU British 125cc Clubmans Championship in 1997.

After putting together a succession of top five finishes to claim second place overall, he switched to the prestigious Aprilia RS250 Challenge for 1998, but a promising start to the season turned sour when Kelly was forced to quit through lack of sponsorship and take a sabbatical from the sport.

He explained: "It was very frustrating because I knew from my results that I could compete with the quickest, but in the end I just ran out of money.

"I decided to take a break from racing, get a new bike and start on a proper financial footing. I've got some sponsorship for this season from two Preston companies, Croker Auto Repair Specialists and Online Aerials, although I'd gratefully accept any other offers of help!

"Bike racing is a breathtaking sport where riders reach 160mph within inches of one another, and attracts huge numbers of spectators. " In addition, every round of this year's MRO series will be shown on Sky Sports, which makes it an attractive proposition for potential backers."

Although he missed out on contesting the opening round last weekend, Kelly plans to be on the starting grid for the next race, scheduled for Mallory Park in Leicestershire on March 25.