When it comes to the TT, no-one can match the consistency or finishing rate of James Hillier and with a record that reads 47 finishes from 50 starts, the Hampshire rider is certainly one of the finest road racers of his generation. And that statement is only strengthened by the fact he’s finished inside the top ten in 34 of the last 36 races, a superb record.
Hiller was strongly expected to head up the newly-formed Gulf Oil BMW team in 2018 but a last minute change of heart saw him re-sign for Pete Extance’s Kawasaki team for the ninth successive year. The reasons were many but one was undoubtedly their excellent finishing record, testament to both Hillier’s skills as a rider and the team’s meticulous preparation, attention to detail and close-knit environment.
“I want to win a big bike race at the TT and believe the team I’m with and the bike I’m on are capable,” Hillier told bikesportnews.com. “I had a good shot at it last year but it didn’t happen so I’m fully focused on achieving that goal. It’s true I thought long and hard about moving to another team mainly because I didn’t want to get to the end of my career and have any regrets wondering ‘what if’.
“The more I thought about it though, the more I thought I’ve got unfinished business with Pete and the team. I want to see the job we started all those years ago to the end and that means winning a big bike race. I didn’t want to burn any bridges with anyone either and we’ve changed a few things this year, switching to Ohlins suspension and Nissin brakes and are hoping little changes like that will give me that little bit extra.”
“I’m never too fussed about practice times or worry about what anyone else is doing – we all know who the competition will be and even if Hutchy or John aren’t fit, there will be plenty of other riders to beat – but I’m keen to get a good result under my belt in the opening Superbike race. Doing that takes the pressure off and allows you to settle into everything a lot quicker.”
“There’s no reason why we can’t be strong in all of the classes so the aim will be to get to the end of practice week fully prepared and be in a confident frame of mind. Preparation is key and I know the team will leave no stone unturned in giving me the best chance possible. Podiums will be nice but I’m going there to win and believe we have the capability of doing that.”
Hillier’s whole season is centred around the TT and his pace and equipment aren’t in doubt; it’s all about finding those last few fractions of a second and if he can do that, he can be relied upon to record more podiums, at least, at TT 2018.
