MOTOR SPORT: Winchester teenager aims to reach the top

DETERMINED teenage racer James Hillier is striving to fulfil his ambition after making great strides in his chosen sport.

James, who's 18 and lives in Winchester, was a newcomer to the Yamaha R6 machine at the start of last season's Virgin Mobile Yamaha R6 Cup, which had live coverage on both BBC and Sky. It's the highest level of racing in the country for young racers.

He finished 12th out of 28 overall and is gunning to be on the starting grid this season with a great deal more knowledge and experience on the Yamaha machine. His aim is to win the 2004 season because he wants the big prize - a Yamaha R1 to race for Yamaha team boss Rob McElnea in the 2005 British Super Bike Championship.

That would be a long way up the road from his first days out on a TY80 trial bike at the age of six!

Having competed in the 2003 season with no experience of a 600cc machine, James was one of the fastest newcomers to the level and proved his ability by recording a number of top 10 finishes as well as fulfilling part of his ambition by racing at national level with Britain's best young racers.

He can only improve with experience and believes that he has the grit to win.

"Unfortunately it's an expensive business, which can't be overlooked, but we should think about the fun aspect and entertainment value," he says.

"17 million viewers tuned in to the 2003 season's viewing. How cool is that?"

Hillier came up from the British MRO level RS125 Aprilia Superteen Challenge in 2002 where he finished 3rd overall - even though he was competing on second hand bikes with no previous track experience and carrying out his own mechanical maintenance. He definitely hasn't had it easy.

"There's a lot more to racing than just opening the throttle," he says.

"Mental and physical fitness are crucial to have any chance of keeping on the pace. I learnt that early on last season, and I wasn't prepared for it. It's a shock at first to race at such pace, but I soon realised that I had to get on with it!

"I know there are always going to be rivals for me to take on, but I am preparing for that now. I can, and will, sooner or later, beat them. I need the track time to perfect and develop my own skills. But I need lots of help to get there."

'James Hillier Racing' is a team of volunteers of committed family and friends now formed to help James progress. They've created various levels of packages to offer potential sponsors.

A main sponsor would have the privilege of using the Virgin Mobile hospitality suite at race events. Anyone interested should contact Hillier298@aol.com for more details.