This weekend, Team Virgin Mobile Yamaha's Tommy Hill will get his first introduction to the World Superbike Championship at Silverstone (26-28 May 2006). Lingfield in Surrey based Hill, who is lead rider of the young Virgin Mobile Yamaha team aged 21, will be the only rider from the British Superbike Championship to race in the World Superbike arena.
Team Manager Rob McElnea says this is a dream come true:"The final part of the jigsaw will be fitted into place this weekend at Silverstone! The dream four years ago of finding our own Superbike Superstar through the Virgin Mobile Cup academy will come to fruition with an entry for Tommy Hill as a 'Wild Card' rider to the British round of the World Superbike series.
Tommy, the inaugural winner of the Virgin Mobile Cup in 2001, has proven to be an amazing ambassador for Virgin Mobile and Yamaha and he is now regarded as one of the top Superbike riders in the UK and at 21 years old, he is a great example of what the Virgin Mobile Cup is all about."
Tommy Hill said:"World Superbikes has gotten a lot quicker this year. The opportunity is there, I've just got to take it and keep my feet on the ground. It is unbelievable to think that just a few years ago I was in the Virgin Mobile Cup and now here I am having a race in the World Superbike Championship. Silverstone will definately be interesting."
The Virgin Mobile Yamaha mechanics have been working hard to prepare Tommy's Yamaha YZF-R1s back at the team headquarters in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, after getting back from last weekend's abandoned race in Ireland.
Team Virgin Mobile Yamaha Manager, Rob McElnea said:"Tommy's rise through the ranks has been well documented and with his maiden victory last season at Cadwell Park he joined the elite race winners club in the most competitive domestic championship in the World. So, the final part to the jigsaw was to bring our home-grown star all the way through to compete at World level and here we are, with the switch to Pirelli tyres in the off season making this whole master plan possible. We are all very excited about bringing Tommy to Silverstone, it is a massive stage for my team and one where I am confident we will put on a great show, everyone knows he will be committed 110% and the patriotic crowd should have some influence on that!"
Related Linkswww.virginmobileracing.com
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