Tommy Hill’s testing frenzy

Tommy Hill met up with his new team-mate Yukio Kagayama on Thursday at the NEC Show and said he’s looking forward to race in the same team as the Japanese star next year.

“I’m hoping we can push each other. It’s all about working together, sharing information for the good of the team – and on race day may the best man win.

“Yukio is one hell of a character. I remember in Cadwell 2004 I was fifth in my first year of superbike and I pulled off into the parc ferme.

“I’d trained my balls off and there was Yukio, who had finished third, off his bike having a smoke.

“Paul Denning remembers me right down-hearted, saying ‘f***ing hell, look at that.’ And Yukio won the second race!

Hill will have his second winter run-out on the Worx Suzuki this week at Mallory Park.
Hill said: “I just want to get miles on the bike.

“When we tested it recently it was wet and cold but I went faster than when I raced the bike earlier this year in the wet.

“We started out with the electronics turned off then fed in the traction control. The plan was to make small changes at a time to get a feel for things.

With no BSB ride in place for 2009 after his Althea Honda WSB deal went sour, Hill raced the Worx Suzuki mid-term to replace injured Sylvain Guintoli but once the Frenchman returned to race, Hill was left without a ride again and ended up on the Hydrex Honda vacated by Karl Harris.

Hill said: “I was surprised how quickly I felt at home on the Suzuki. I thought it would take ages to get back in the groove but we did loads of laps and it felt good.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Mallory.  It gets me on a bike again and there’s nothing like testing in the UK.

“I know a lot of teams go to Spain testing but it’s caught people out in the past.

“You come home with lots of miles under you in the sunshine and then you end up at the first race in freezing cold wet conditions.”