Jeremy McWilliams picked up his first MotoGP points when finishing 10th in Sunday's rain-effected French MotoGP at Le Mans.

However, it was a disappointing conclusion for the Belfast man who had qualified on the second row of the grid.

In a race won by current series leader Valentino Rossi, McWilliams struggled with power to get away and was down in 15th place after the first corner.

However, the Proton KR rider moved through the field to finish in 10th when the race was stopped when it started to rain with six of the 26 laps remaining.

''The big bikes are so fast, that when you get to the top corner, there is no room to slot in,'' said McWilliams.

''When you try to play catch-up with the faster bikes it is then very difficult.

''From five laps to go, we started to fall back.

''I had a good qualifying lap, and we got some points at least. That is some comfort, but it didn't turn out they way I wanted.

''We can only look forward to the next one, and hopefully things will get better.

''I've enjoyed it here, but in a way I'm glad it's over.''