The 2015 motorsport season really gets underway this coming weekend and Chris Threadgill can’t wait to go racing.
Chris has made the move to the Pirelli Superstock 600 series this season from the Triumph Triple Challenge and that brings with it a series of new challenges.
Speaking with Kent Sports News ahead of the opening round this weekend, and excited Chris said: “Yeah the start of the season is really close now. It all kicks off this coming Saturday and it will be good to get out on track and see what the competition is going to be like!
“The step-up has been a learning curve for me. The Tsingtao Racing MV Agusta F3 675 has a lot more power than my old Triumph, different suspension and also electronics to wrap my head around. It’s definitely going to be a challenging year, but I’m ready to try my hardest and learn as much as I can from this season.
Chris is also learning a whole new side to racing outside of racing on the track as he does a lot more promo work for Tsingtao Racing.
He added: “The promotional side of the new team is all new to me. Riding for a big team like the Tsingtao MV Agusta team means I’m doing a lot of promo work such as open days, launch nights, and bits for the sponsors also. I’m enjoying it all though, and the Spearmint Rhino promo girls that we work with make it a bit easier to deal with too.”
Like any sport it can take a while to settle into a new team but Chris believes that he has settled quickly into his new surroundings.
“I’m really happy with the new team. Being a brand new bike, there were some teething problems for the first few times out on track.
“We’re a fully factory supported team this year so between Justin my crew chief, and the boys back at the factory in Italy, we’re constantly making improvements and working on setup to get the bike ready for when the lights go out at round one.
“The other riders are all mega too. I raced with Max Alexander in the Triumph Triple Challenge last year, and shared a garage with Luke Jones so I know both of them quite well. Both Vittorio and Luca, our Italian Superbike and SuperSport riders are real good guys also and such a great laugh. I’ve also got Ian Hutchinson as a team mate for the Isle of Man TT and the North West 200 so there is a lot of experience in the team to learn from.”
In preparation for the season ahead Chris and the team have been putting the bike through its paces in testing, and the test sessions haven’t always been straight forward.
He said: Pre-season has had its ups and downs. A three day test in Spain was hampered with rain and electrical faults on the bike, and then a quick weekend at Brands Indy was a right crash fest so I haven’t had too many fast laps on the bike.
“That being said my crew chief and I have been working very hard on getting a basic setting ready for round one, and I’m starting to really enjoy riding the MV Agusta. For sure, it should be a good package for the season ahead.”
The first round of the season gets underway this Easter weekend but in a change from last season it will kick off at Donington Park, a circuit Chris enjoys.
He added: “For me, it makes no difference, other than the drive to the circuit is longer! Racing is racing, the corners go left and right so it’s all the same really! For sure, I prefer Donington Park to Brands Hatch so hopefully that will work in our favour.
“For me, the target at the start of the season is to get the Tsingtao MV Agusta up to speed as soon as possible. After that, we can start to work towards pushing for consistent points scoring finishes and seeing how we progress from there. I have a lot to learn in this new class, and the pace is unbelievably fast, and the lap times are so close it isn’t going to be easy.”