Chris Threadgill enjoyed the 2014 season in the Triumph Challenge and being back racing in on a regular basis.

It has been tough for Chris to watch from the side lines and he was itching to get back out there and do what he loves to do race, and now he is focussing on 2015 and making further progress.

Speaking to Kent Sports News about his season, Chris said: “This year has been mega for me, coming back after such a long time out of the seat was always going to be tough, and when I decided that BSB is where I wanted to race, the Triumph Challenge really stood out as the championship to go for.

“The racing was close all season long, and once we had been able to get the bike sorted with a base setting, I really started to settle in and was a regular top five finisher.  The competition was always fierce, and nobody ever gave and quarter, but at the same time nobody asked for it!  It is proper racing at this level, and it’s always good to cross the line after a ten lap battle and shake hands with the guys you were fighting with.”

This season had some ups and down for Chris as he had to find his way back into regular competition and finding a set up on his bike that worked for him.

He added: “This year had its fair share of highs and lows, but that is just racing.  You can’t win every time you go out on track, and for sure we had some bad luck this year with some mechanical gremlins and a few injuries, but you just have to keep your head in the game.  That’s where you need to be really strong mentally, and just remember why you are out there.

“Crashing is never a good feeling, and for sure it dents your confidence for the next time you get on the bike.  Take my big crash at Silverstone for example – I hit a bump going into the left hander of Brooklands, around 80-90mph, and it threw my inside foot off the footpeg and into the rear wheel.

“It was a big one, and I ended up sliding down the track with 180kg of Triumph on top of me!  It took me a whole week to recover from that before I could walk properly again, and then five days after that I was back on the bike at Brands Hatch for the last round.  I never got my head back into it at Brands, the weather conditions didn’t help what with it being wet but with a dry line.  I just didn’t feel confident on the front end going into the corners, so much so I my lap times were a good second or so slower than my fastest times round there. “

Despite having a massive off, there were still some great races for Chris throughout the season and he shared with us just some of his highlights.

“There have been so many great races this year, but a few really stand out for me.  Firstly, race two at Snetterton will stand out, because that was when we finally got the bike working the way I liked it, and it showed because I immediately brought it home in fifth place.  Thruxton stands out too, as it was my first time at the track and I just loved it there.  You’re pretty much flat out for 75% of the lap, with the bike screaming and the rear tyre sliding around.  It’s just awesome there.

“I think my favourite race of all though was race one at Silverstone in the wet.  I had a terrible qualifying down on somewhere like the eighth row, but I knew that the pace was there to run at the front.  As the lights went out, I just pinned it and headed straight for the apex of turn one.  After a few passes through the complex, I was heading down the back straight in second position, and managed to hold onto that until I got a massive two wheel drift on around the fast left hander of Farm Curve.

“This dropped me back to the back of the field, but I was able to regroup and come through to battle for fourth with Terry Lewis, being piped to the finish by 0.07 seconds.  I just felt so comfortable on the bike that weekend, and bashing bars with Terry for the last three laps was mega, neither of us was going to yield.”

During the season Chris decided that it was time to change his bike and make it a little bit more distinctive and it certainly worked.

He said: “The decision to change the colour scheme to the red and white camo was just really to get notice a bit more on the TV coverage and in the photographs that get taken.  The first half of the year, due to not being able to secure any financial backing at all, I was just riding around on a plain black bike.

“This just got lost against the black of the tarmac, so the decision was made to go for something a little crazy.  It was actually a fully colour printed vinyl wrap, all designed and fitted by the very talented Luca from BossDog Graphics (www.bossdog.co.uk).  We’re in dire need for financial backing to get us onto the grid in 2015, and if we can secure a big sponsor, for sure you can expect another colour scheme that fully reflects their brand, and will stick out just as much.”

Speaking of 2015 Chris is working hard on his plans to ensure that he is back on the grid for another full season of highly competitive racing.

He added: “I’m 100% up for the 2015 season.  We’ve got our sights set on moving up into the Pirelli National Superstock 600 class, which is the most competitive championship in the UK.  The times are so close, and the racing is super competitive.  For sure, we will be doing everything we can to finish as high up the standings as we can each weekend!

“I’m already training for the 2015 season.  You might think that everything stops from November – April, but there is so much going on behind the scenes.  I’m training as hard as ever to be ever fitter and stronger going into the first race next year at Donington in April.  There is also the other stuff that the team is sorting out.  We need a new bike to be competitive next season, and we currently have a new race van being finalised.

“On top of this, we are working hard to find the financial backing to actually get us onto the grid.  Racing isn’t cheap, and my family put everything into 2014 to get me on the grid, and we just aren’t able to go solo again in 2015.  There are also discussions going on with various teams within the BSB paddock, who are looking for new riders in the new season, which could prove fruitful for us.

“I’d just like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me in 2014.  First up, my family for being behind me 100% of the way.  Feridax for supplying me with my Shoei helmets and Sidi boots for the year.  Knox Armour for supplying me with the best gloves on the market, the Handroids, and all the body armour I use.

“Phil from Artomise Custom Designs for supplying me with my leathers for the year.  Luca at BossDog for the bodywork.  Tony Scott, Dave Harris and Ricky Chadwick from T3 Racing for helping to put a bike under me that I could really work with.  And of course, everyone who came to watch trackside, kept up to date via my social media, or watched my races on TV!”