James Hillier bought his own tyres, “bit of a mess”, before Isle of Man TT podium
James Hillier scored Isle of Man TT podium after short-notice reunion with old team
James Hillier claimed an Isle of Man TT podium after clawing together a last-gasp entry.
The falling apart of WTF Racing left Hillier without a ride ahead of the TT, until he found a short-notice agreement with his old team, Bournemouth Kawasaki, who had planned not to enter at all.
On Monday, the first day of racing at the 2025 TT, Hillier completed the podium in the Supersport class behind Michael Dunlop and Dean Harrison.
“I was a bit sad after the first race, a bit grumpy, because I didn’t do as well as I could have,” Hillier said.
“It has been stressful, and a bit frustrating, getting here.
“We bought tyres to race here! The job is a bit of a mess.
“That makes it worthwhile. There are so many people behind the scenes who helped me to get here.
“It’s nice to pay everyone back for their efforts and commitment to me.”
Hillier added: “We are close, I have done so many laps on the [Ninja ZX-6R]. I knew it was in the ballpark.
“I didn’t have the legs to stay with Michael.
“Once I saw the pitboard and the gap was comfortable, I just rode accordingly.
“It was very windy at the top. I thought the bike was slowing down and I had a problem - but it was just heavy wind which slowed me up.
“A pint of Guinness later, I think!
“I’ll sleep well later and we’ll see what the rest of the week brings.
“It’s so nice, the last lap, with the sun shining and everyone waving.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
