[Acidreign]

LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - British MotoGP rider Jeremy McWilliams has resumed testing with his new Ilmor team after a heavy crash last December.

The Northern Irishman fractured the femur in his left leg, broke his collarbone and injured the fingers on his left hand after crashing the 800cc bike at Jerez in Spain.

The 42-year-old, who had a screw taken out of his injured leg on Friday to give him more movement on the bike, completed 18 laps on Tuesday at the Losail circuit in Qatar that hosts the opening round of the season on March 10.

"I feel good but I feel like my performance could definitely have been better," said McWilliams, who will be partnered by Australian Andrew Pitt in Ilmor's debut season in the top category.

"It was great to be back out on the bike though, it felt fantastic. There is an enormous amount of work ahead of us but I'm confident that we're making real progress," he added in a statement.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Mark Meadows, London Sports Desk)

[fl-929]

I think Ilmor is going to have a big uphill battle to be competitive this year. But either way I can't wait for the racing season to start.