Tommy Hill, one of Britain's leading motorcyclists, is out to gain the advantage at Cadwell Park as he continues his challenge to finally secure the British Superbike title following years of injuries and setbacks.
The Surrey rider has suffered a catalogue of career-threatening injuries and while many would have given up, Hill remains undeterred.
'I've not achieved what I want to achieve. That drives me,' said Hill, who has already secured a place in the BSB showdown alongside Shane Byrne and John Hopkins with a round to spare.
Up Hill: Tommy Hill celebrates at Oulton Park
'There is no reason the championship will not go down to the wire,' admits Hill, so securing extra podium credits this Bank Holiday ahead of the final three rounds could be vital.
He knows he is lucky to be racing still, having had more injuries and broken bones than he can remember.
The list includes snapping two ribs off his sternum, breaking his elbow, damaging tendons and suffering four major concussions.
When he was 14 Hill, was given just 15 minutes to live following a motocross crash.
He suffered a punctured lung and such severe internal bleeding, he had to have his spleen and kidney removed.
One of the most challenging times was when he broke his thigh bone, ankle and hand in 2007 at a test, only to snap the same femur on his comeback eight months later, when he was caught in a pile-up at the first corner at Nurburgring.
Another one: Tommy Hill in action at Knockhill
'I was like, no, this can't be happening, so I got up,' he recalled. 'As I got up I pulled my leg forward and it fell apart. I stood up again and the same thing happened. I remember lying on the floor and I started to cry. I looked across and saw my team manager standing on the corner. He had started to cry too.'
Once again he has been gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain this season after effectively separating his left shoulder from his upper arm following a crash in warm-up at Oulton Park in May which forced him out of the round.
The cut-throat nature of the sport meant Hill was back riding for Swan Yamaha two weeks later, even though doctors told him he would need to rest for six weeks.
'It's not like being a footballer, who may sit at home and get paid. We need to be on the bike,' he stressed. 'If I'm sitting at home and another rider is on my bike doing well, I could be out of a job. I've seen it with other racers. You try to do everything you can to get back out there.'
Dangerous game: Hill has had more than his share of bad injuries
For Hill this involved visits to an oxygen chamber, photosynthesis laser treatment and sleeping on a magnet mat.
Anything to try to speed up the recovery.
'It could all be old wives' tales. Does it work? I don't know. You do all you can,' he said. 'A lot of people may get embarrassed as they start to hear about motorcycle racers and motocross riders and think, flipping hell, I broke my finger and I'm off for two months. It is just the way it is. Maybe because it is so cut-throat, we need to be out there racing.'
Not having a spleen means Hill can be more at risk of infection.
When he caught salmonella at 16 he ended up in an isolation ward for a week and lost a stone and a half.
He is supposed to take penicillin every day, but chooses not to.
'Some doctors fall off their chair when I say I don't take it, others disagree with it,' he said. 'At the beginning for two years, I took tablets. I was being sick, it was horrible. I think if you're fairly healthy, look after yourself, you're OK. If I start to feel ill I get tablets to fight the infection.'
Turning the corner: Hill is determined to keep riding
A new scoring system was introduced last season, which sees the first six riders in the standings elevated to a new base level and become the 'title fighters' for the final three rounds.
They start the showdown with 500 points, plus additional points for each podium position they have obtained in the main season.
Hill, currently sits third in the championship, but he holds 21 credits, one more than standings leader Byrne and three more than Hopkins, who is sidelined this weekend.
Cadwell Park is the last round before the showdown and eight riders are still in contention for the remaining three spots, including defending champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, and Josh Brookes, who finished runner-up last season, so the pressure is on today.
Hill says: 'I think we need almost to use this round as a bit of a test to try some different set-ups. But what we don't want are any of the other top six riders gaining maximum podium credits, which are up for grabs.
Head on: Hill is determined to meet his challenges
'I don't have to win races at Cadwell, but I'm a motorcycle racer and I want to go out there and win. It's pride and passion.
'I need to get myself ready and the bike. We all need to be ready as a team for the last three rounds.'
Hill is out to make amends for missing out on last year's championship, after a collision in the penultimate race of the season saw his hopes destroyed.
He said: 'I could be sitting here saying I lost the championship because I didn't try, but I was going for it. I went for the move and crashed. When you arrive at a corner at 180mph you've got to make a split second decision and go for it.'
He says the bar has been raised this year. 'Shakey's won the championship twice before, this isn't new to him. Hopkins has come back from MotoGP. The two of them have a lot of experience.'
He also expects strong challenges from others in the field.
'I'm never going to under-estimate my team-mate Michael Laverty, and Kiyonari is a dangerous one.
'You can't rule anyone out with this new point's system.' His ultimate aim is to take on the sport's elite.
Hill said: 'I definitely want to move up to MotoGP, that's everyone's ambition, but first I'd like to go to World Superbikes with a good team and try to do a good job there.'
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