The Swan Yamaha team prepare for their home round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Croft this weekend as Tommy Hill bids for a return following a crash at the previous event, whilst Michael Laverty is determined to secure his first podium finish of the season.
Hill had set the pace in qualifying at Oulton Park, however, ligament damage following a crash in warm up brought an early end to his weekend and he was forced to watch from the sidelines. Hill has been doing everything possible since the crash in a bid to be fit enough to compete this weekend and is hopeful that his dedication will pay off as he aims for damage limitation against his title rivals. Laverty scored a pair of fifth places at Oulton Park but proved his pace by leading both races and is eager to reward the Guisborough-based team with podium finishes at their home round this weekend.
Hill said:
"I have been on the mend since Oulton Park and I’m doing everything I can to get back racing the Swan Yamaha. I have had laser treatment, magnotherapy and visited an oxygen chamber to basically do as much as I can. I have good movement in the shoulder and I have set myself the target of coming back this weekend at Croft as I want to get back on the podium for the Swan Yamaha team as soon as possible. I have been resting up and I have some more treatment planned before the weekend, so we will have to see what happens. I just need to concentrate on getting out there and scoring as many points as I can for the championship."
Laverty said:
"I am looking forward to Croft as last season I would say that it was the circuit where I had my best race of the year. It is good to be back out again so quickly after the last round as I haven’t finished on the podium yet and I feel that I need to put that right; especially after running so strong in all four races so far. I know that we can win and I just need to go out and prove that at the weekend. It is the Swan Yamaha team’s home round at Croft so it would be nice to get the first win of the season there. We know we are capable of winning, so I won’t be looking for anything less at Croft."
[Press Release Courtesy of Swan Yamaha]
