RINGWOOD racer James Hillier, now off to the Isle of Man TT races, got himself in the right frame of mind with some fine riding at Thruxton on Sunday.

In the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 race, Hillier – best rookie on the Isle of Man last year – started from third on the 40-bike grid, dropped to sixth then battled back for another fine fourth place on his Buildabase Bournemouth Kawasaki to bolster his championship standings.

He demonstrated his obvious delight at the result by stopping to burn rubber for fans watching at the club chicane.

Another front runner was John Crockford from Bitterne on the Crescent Performance machine who qualified ninth but slid out, and Bishopstoke’s Wayne Dunford also dropped out after just three laps.

Winchester’s James Hurrell battled hard in the fiercely fought midfield contest, and 17th was a useful placing from such a big grid.

The race was won by Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki), with Steve Brogan (Padgett’s Honda) second and Adam Jenkinson (SMT Honda) hot on his exhausts.