Jake Hill “already at home” after racking up Toyota test miles

Jake Hill says he is already feeling at home in his Toyota Avensis after his longest ever spell behind the wheel of a touring car at Donington Park yesterday.

Fresh from signing a deal with Team Hard to compete in his first ever full season in the series, Hill racked up an impressive 65 laps in the media day test – the third highest of any driver on the day.

And for a young man more accustomed to fleeting appearances in the BTCC, it represented his single longest run in contemporary touring car machinery following brief outings for Motorbase Performance, Rob Austin Racing and AmD Tuning in recent years.

Speaking about his full-time deal with Tony Gilham’s outfit, Hill told TouringCarTimes: “It’s what I’ve worked towards for the last three years, pretty much since I started racing Ginetta Juniors. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.

“I’m having a really good first run in the car, and hopefully with two more days of testing before round one we can build on that and carry it into the first race.

“The car’s really nice. This is now the longest I’ve spent in a touring car testing and I really clicked with it straight away. I was really comfortable and felt at home.”

The BRDC Rising Star already has one eye on the future, and is hoping to use 2016 as a springboard to even greater things.

“I just want to build this year, so hopefully I can make a career out of it. I want to get some strong results this year and prove myself. It’s so nice to get a full year,” said Hill.

“The driving’s the easy bit and finding the budget’s the hard bit. But we got the chance, and we’re here, so let’s have a good year!”