Tommy Hill celebrates his spectacular title win at Brands Hatch in October

Tommy Hill will defend his British Superbike Championship (BSB) crown next season after signing a new deal to stay at Swan Yamaha.

The 26-year-old memorably claimed the biggest title of his career by the narrowest of margins at Brands Hatch in October, finishing the final race 0.006 seconds ahead of rival John Hopkins.

There was speculation the Beckenham rider would make the switch to World Superbikes in 2012, but after several weeks of talks Hill has confirmed he will stay with Swan Yamaha for next year, alongside Ian Hutchinson.

Hill said: “At the end of last season after winning the title I was speaking to different teams and looking at the different championships, but I knew I needed to have the complete package. I have a lot of fans in BSB and I think having a British champion trying to hold on to the number one plate is something to get excited about - I certainly am.

“The Swan Yamaha team have won one BSB title but now we are looking at how we can improve so we can do it again. The consistency with the team is very important and they have already started looking at what we can do to move forward again.”

Photo by NICK DUNGAN