Disaster as Tommy Hill re-breaks leg

World Supersport rider Tommy Hill had the worst possible start to his season when he re-broke his femur at the Nurburgring in Germany. The young Englishman had been forced to sit out the first few races after suffering multiple injuries in a massive testing crash.

The former BSB star had qualified an impressive 8th on the grid, despite still limping from the pre-season crash. However, his race lasted just seconds, when a kamikaze wildcard racer tore through the field like a bowling ball at the tricky first turn, leaving 5 bikes tumbling through the gravel. The race was immediately red-flagged when Hill failed to get up.

Medics confirmed everybody's worst suspicions: Tommy has re-broken the same femur that he has only recently had a metal rod removed from. It is a catastrophe for the lad, as his season must surely be over after just 10 seconds of racing.

He is a fighter, and he will have to summon up all of his reserves of courage to return from this one. His qualifying performance proved he is easily quick enough to compete in WSS, which is arguably the most competitive race series just now. He must be distraught. I wish him all the best for his recovery.

WSS: Tommy Hill Crocked in Testing Crash

Tommy Hill is known for speed rather than luck, and fortune has frowned at him again at a test with his new World Supersport team, Althea Honda. According to MCN, the Englishman had been having problems with his quickshifter, and when the team sent him out to test the repairs, it malfunctioned by cutting the engine mid-corner and flinging him off the bike in a massive crash. As a result, the former Virgin Media Yamaha BSB rider has broken his hip and leg, and is now in a race to be fit for the first round of the WSS championship.

Tommy isn't short of raw speed, having put his Yamaha on the front row of several BSB grids, where it really had no right to be, and also taking a World Superbike pole in horribly wet conditions. However, he has been dogged by injuries ever since as a young teenager he very nearly lost his life in a motocross accident. His powers of determination will be taxed as he tries to recover from his latest crash before Qatar in February, but he has come back from worse. The only worry is how fit he will be when the season starts.

This is a new start for Hill. In his last couple of outings in WSS for Yamaha, he was arguably trying a bit too hard and falling off a bit too much. Hopefully, having a contract with a decent WSS team will help him to stay calm and ease himself into the world scene.