Tommy Hill says he ‘can’t afford to have any excuses’ as he prepares to defend his MCE British Superbike Championship title with the first of three ‘Showdown’ rounds to be held at Assen.

Though the iconic Dutch circuit is a brand-new venue for the BSB schedule, the event will mark a return to Assen for Hill having raced there during his brief tenure with Althea Honda in the 2009 World Superbike Championship.

Three years on, Hill arrives in the Netherlands looking to kick-start his 2012 BSB title hopes with more race-winning success having stood atop the podium on seven occasions already this year.

Helping him establish a ten point lead over Josh Brookes now the points have been equalised ahead of the three-round showdown, the Swan Yamaha rider says he is aiming for nothing less than wins over the next month.

“It is exciting to head to Assen this weekend for the first round of the Showdown and it will be a great experience for both us riders and the fans. The wins mean more now than ever and I hope that we can get to Assen and as a team raise our game again and that is what the Showdown is all about now.

“I am going into this round not thinking about the 10 point lead and treating it like we are starting from scratch as the standings can easily change.

“You can see from the previous rounds that we are all riding hard and want those wins, but at the same time we need to be consistent. At this point of the season you can’t afford to have any excuses.”