After a successful meeting at the International North West 200 last week, the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki team have now turned their attentions to the Isle of Man TT races where James Hillier will again be challenging for the race wins.

Since making his debut on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in 2008, the 33-year old has taken ten podiums for the Bournemouth-based team, including a memorable Lightweight victory in 2013, and second place in the solitary Supersport race as well as fourth place in the Superbike and Senior races last year.

Indeed, in the last two years, the Hampshire rider has finished on the podium on no fewer than three occasions and finished in the top four in six of his nine races. And with last week’s two rostrum finishes in the Supersport class at the North West 200, he comes into TT2018 as a potential race winner in all five of his races.

Starting at number two, Hillier will compete on the Kawasaki ZX-10R in the Superbike, Senior and Superstock races while contesting the two Supersport races on the Kawasaki ZX-6R with a full week of practice scheduled prior to the race action getting under way on Saturday 2nd June.

During his first practice on the Mountain Course on Saturday evening (26^th May), Hillier completed five laps on his Supersport mount and with a best speed of 122.967mph, it placed him seventh on the early leaderboard.

A rider who always uses practice week for exactly that, practice, Hillier consistently shows potential during race week but it was nonetheless a good start to his fortnight.

James Hillier said: “My whole year is built around the TT and now that we’re here, it’s good to get the first night over and done with. It’s a good chance to blow away the cobwebs with the Supersport machine being the ideal tool for getting dialled back in to the Mountain Course.

“The course is so long and so tough that it always takes a few laps to get re-acclimatised with the speeds but I was more than happy with how the first night of practice went.

“I enjoyed the North West 200 and got some good results under my belt while we also learnt a lot with all of the bikes, so it was the ideal preparation for the TT.

“The weather forecast looks good for the next week so we should be able to put in plenty of laps on each night of practice which will stand us in good stead come race day. The competition is as tough as always but I’m feeling confident about my chances in each class.”

Pete Extance, Team Manager said: “Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki are heading to the Isle of Man TT better prepared than ever, machinery-wise, and with a rider who is fitter and more determined to score wins and podiums than I have ever seen in the eight years we have run James at the TT.

“After a good North West 200, we feel we are in a great position to have a fantastic 2018 TT. As always, a massive thanks to all of our sponsors especially Quattro Plant and JG Speedfit.”

Practice will take place every evening from Monday 28^th until Friday 1^st June with the six-lap Superbike race opening the race programme on Saturday 2nd June.

To keep up to date with the latest news from JG Speedfit Kawasaki you can follow the team on Facebook @JGSpeedfitBournemouthKawasaki and on Twitter @JGSpeedfitKawa or visit the website www.jgspeedfitkawasaki.co.uk