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Tommy Hill ready for 2012 challenge - Malcolm - 10-01-2012 If anyone was ever in any doubt about the meaning of success, they only had to look at Tommy Hill when he won the British Superbike title, one of the sporting highlights of 2011. Twelve months on from the most devastating of ways to lose a championship, the boy born to race replaced tears of despair with those of joy, and thousands shared every moment of success with him. The eyes had it. His self-belief goes so deep it could be misunderstood as arrogance, but so often it is a ruthless streak that wins championships. Seven wins last season, 17 podium finishes, nine pole positions, eight fastest laps and the most dramatic finish to a season, places Hill, at 26, among the best. The former Oxted School student personifies the spirit of competition striding out of the pit garage towards his racing machine like a gunfighter, ready for anyone who dares challenge. His relationship with Shaun Muir, team owner of the Swan Yamaha outfit, has always been a meeting of minds and it proved a winning combination in 2011 that led to unprecedented success. "We want to give him everything he requires in order to retain the British title in 2012. We are giving him an extremely competitive package and are already ahead of the game," explained Muir. "He wants to win another as much as he wanted to win his first last season." Winning in any sport does not just happen, you have to work hard at it. For Hill, winning over and over again is the essential motivation. "If you want to start separating yourself from the rest, you've got to be a multiple champion," Hill observes. Certainly Hill recognises there is a massive difference between those who have won one championship and none, and an even bigger one from those who have won two. Make no mistake Hill can become an all-time great. His biggest challenge in 2012 will undoubtedly come from his new team-mate Ian Hutchinson, a proven race winner and TT record-breaker who will push the Lingfield favourite beyond where he has ever been before. Rule changes for 2012 mean all electronic aids are removed from the bikes giving the riders more control. "It will come down to more rider input and working as a team to get the chassis set up right. "The boys have been working hard in the workshop and, as a rider, that really gives me confidence before we even begin testing," said Hill. "I expect less pressure on my shoulders despite being the champion and the man everyone wants to beat. I want to hold onto the No 1 plate for myself and Swan. "People talk a lot about pressure and say I must be feeling the pressure on race days. I don't look at it that way. I apply pressure as well, but in the heat of competition I just want to win: it's deeply engrained in me. "That final lap at Brands when John Hopkins and myself were battling so hard for the championship; we changed positions five times. "There was no way I was going to let him beat me. I rode a tactical race, did not give anything away or let him know where I might be faster than him. I played a blinder really," he laughed. "Moments like that are so important. I don't think now about the bad moments, they just slow you down. "I could not take all the emotion in at the time, but when I watched the race back on TV the following day, I was stunned by what I saw. Then I grabbed a box of Kleenex and cried my eyes out. "I had spent so many years knocking on doors asking for support in pursuit of my dream. I refused to give up. There have been so many ups and downs that to finally win the British title was a dream come true. It means a lot more to be a part of the championship chase the way it turned out, three important final races at Brands, the final race, the final lap, the final corner. "I won the championship on Sunday, the following day I was enjoying my first day as champion, Tuesday I was thinking about 2012. I really want to put that day on Sky Plus, rewind it and relive every moment again, and again, and again. "I've spent almost every day since then meeting with current sponsors, potential backers, attending events across the country, addressing Yamaha dealer nights. It's been full on." Hill recalled the first time he and his parents Mick and Jacquie went road racing with a second hand bike complete with number plate, and old football boots. "We had no idea what we were doing really, but I loved it. "I became good and then you want your son to have the best equipment, go racing every weekend. It becomes expensive for everyone." While Hill has had his fair share of injuries over the years with a body now bolted together, the thought of being able to contest the British Superbike Championship always drove him on over the years. "It was very much a learning curve in those early days but when success started to come, I knew it was right," he explained. "I have not just arrived on the superbike scene today, it has been a long, hard slog. "It's been a hard graft for my parents but often the setbacks make you stronger. We had some tough times as a family, but we are very close and have taken lots of decisions together. They are very important to me." Hill will be the first British champion to defend the No 1 plate since John Reynolds in 2005. He is also aiming to become the third rider in history to win back-to-back titles. Don't bet against him. .