Josh Hill ready for Factory Championships

 
 

For a 16-year-old, handling a powerful machine is often arduous as it is dangerous…but for Josh Hill, racing on his motorbike is something that he just does really well…as well as he can brush his teeth. This Yamaha rider who took to the podium recently in one of the major motocross championships made his sponsors proud by finishing off the year handsomely and Josh Hill didn't even get into the game the whole season because his first full season would be 2007. We can see the Yamaha big guns sitting around on a rounded table patting each other on their backs for doing the right thing, sponsoring this young but mighty teen, Josh Hill. So, from now onwards, Josh Hill has climbed out of the amateur championships circuits and entering the Factory Racer ones. What probably convinced Yamaha to sign on Josh Hill was that this young rider, despite his age, is mature enough, fast enough and savvy enough. And we would have to agree.

This Yoncalla, Oregon resident who says he loves nothing more than Italian and Mexican dishes, finished off the AMA Motocross Championship Series at the Broome-Tioga Sports Center in Binghamton , New York on the podium. Being number three could be nothing but when you're standing right there with the likes of Broc Hepler and Ryan Villopoto who are seniors, you just can't hide that smile. Although Josh Hill fancies being in Supercross better than Motocross and Arenacross, he reckons he's going to be doing a whole lot Motocrossing for the rest of 2006 and the whole of 2007.

Josh Hill owes his tremendous success to his supportive family who literally lived out of their motor home traveling across the country to attend one championship after another. But we dare say that his father played the biggest role in pushing Josh Hill in the right direction… AND standing in as mechanic to his bike during the early days. Well, daddy Hill can finally just sit down and watch his son race now because Yamaha's got big Bob Oliver (who was Damon Bradshaw's mechanic) on Josh Hill's bike now. In fact, daddy Hill bought a land in which he built a house with tracks so that Josh Hill can practice there with father, grandfather, brother and mother! Talk about support.

With the kind of activities planned for this 16-year-old, it's got to be tough for a youngster like him to have a set of schedule so that he can actually catch up with his school work (Josh Hill is home-schooled by his mother ever since young not because she has to but because she wants to) and hanging out with his non-bike fans buddies. Indeed, Josh Hill admits that it's tough on him and despite the fact that he does not have the time for what other young kids his age is doing, he's pretty happy with what he's got (we don't see anything to be unhappy about, actually) and although he's always traveling, he's really whipping it out with his riding coaches, Jay Whipple and Charles Dao.

Sure, he has to ride Pro Nationals now but Josh Hill is truly just a boy at heart…even though he doesn't like rap music like many other teenagers his age. With his schedule packed tight with practices, gym and traveling, how does Josh Hill have fun? Isn't he missing out a lot on his childhood? Apparently not very much. This Yamaha Pro Nationals bike racer loves to pull show-off stunts…erm, pretty much like the rest of us and he says he loves 'The Taunt' the best. This is where you spin around mid-air and point your finger (taunt) at the guy behind you.

Yeah, just a regular teenager and we can see that – but Hill is not a proud or easily contented person and we don't see him taunting others at all – now or in the future (except in mid-air on a bike, I guess). He ended his amateur racing career on a good note and he's using this chance that Yamaha is giving him to…just get as much experience as he can. While this floppy-haired bike rider is all humble about it, we bet Yamaha sees a whole lot more in this Hill. Nice catch, Yamaha.

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