British Supersport rider Jimmy Hill has just returned from a successful four-day pre-season test at the Spanish Cartagena circuit and is surprised just how fast his Yamaha is.
The National Superstock 600 race winner is moving up a class for 2009 and the test was Hill's first time out on a bike since the end of last season.
"It was hard getting back and after the first test session I was miles off in terms of laptimes. I thought I wasn't doing to badly but was obviously riding like a muppet, said the youngster.
"Eventually I started to get quicker and managed to set some fast laps getting in to the mid 1.37s. There were also a few other teams there such as Raceways and Centurion so it was good having top teams there to compare against.
"The Supersport bike is completely different compared to a stock 600. I had to change to race-shift as I have used a road pattern before, but I got used it and it felt really good using a quickshifter for the first time.
"It's mad how hard you can push the fronts on these bikes as well – it took some getting used to. The tyres are a bit different too. After five laps the grip went and the power just spins the rear out of corners. That was fun."
Hill is still seeking some partners to help him with this season's funding, click here to email him.
