Steady start for Michael Hill in British 125cc GP

British 125cc GP
By Louise Cain
March 28 2006

Michael Hill, on his Taboo Motorsport Honda, qualified in thirty-first place, but gained ten places during the race to finish in twenty-first position, at the first round of the British 125cc GP Championship at Brands Hatch.

Hill, who is rider and team manager, said, “It’s gone a lot better than I’d expected. This time last year we didn’t even qualify for the race here. Now I’m running my own team there is a lot of pressure just to make sure we get through the weekends. We had a few problems on Friday, and in the damp we were fourteenth, which was encouraging, but because of the mechanical problems we had at Snetterton we had to use this race meeting as a test session. But I’m quite pleased. We ended up twenty-first, and I think overcoming all the problems we had to overcome, it has been a really good confidence booster going into Donington. So hopefully I’m top fifteen at Donington.”

The first race of the season is always eventful, and that was certainly the case with the 125s. On the first lap Hill found himself grass tracking instead of road racing! “On the first lap, because I didn’t have the right gearbox, I bogged it off the line, was mid pack and being just a bit race rusty I just needed to be a bit more aggressive. They were more aggressive to me than I was to them, and I came off a little bit worse!” Hill was left with his rev counter dangling precariously between the fairing and the mud guard. “I could see it moving around so I was a bit conscious it would tuck under the wheel,” he said, “but luckily it didn’t so I’m pleased with that. I managed to get it all back together by the middle of the first lap, and then took a few laps to settle in.”

As a rider, beating your team-mate is usually a good goal. However, since Hill doesn’t have a team-mate he opted to beat the team he raced for last year. “At the start of the race there was about ten of us, which was really good, but the main battle was with Carl Thomas Andrews. He’s riding with the team I was with last year. One of my goals was to beat them,” he grinned. “It was a good race and I did him with about three laps to go. I got my head down and prayed that the flag would come out!”

Donington Park is the location for the next round of the championship. “I can’t wait for Donington Park,” commented Hill. “It is one of my favourite tracks. I was lucky enough last year to spend a day with Ron Haslam, being tutored there, but I’m really, really confident for Donington. There is no reason why we can’t be in the top twenty in qualifying and get some points.”

The Donington Park round takes place on the 7th-9th April.