James Hillier Shines Light On The Overlooked Part of Road Racing
Professional road racer James Hillier is a sportsman and a true sportsman knows that there are risks involved in sports that may endanger his life. A true sportsman also knows the ins and outs of ambulances or, in this case, air ambulances. Not many race tracks are located near hospitals, which maybe they should look into especially as the injury rates are increasing in motorcycle racing.
The British racer visited the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) on February 26 to raise awareness on the importance of the service and the work done by the Critical Care Team to treat crash victims.Hillier, whose passion for bikes began at the age of 6, gave up his time and brought along his Kawasaki KX250f to take part in a photoshoot with HIOWAA’s Critical Care Team. The photoshoot, a mock-up of a motorcycle incident, took place in a muddy field in Hampshire and illustrates how HIOWAA’s advanced Critical Care Team are able to bring the emergency department to the patient, wherever they are.
Last year, 45 per cent of incidents attended by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance were road traffic collisions. Even Singaporeans are, unfortunately, no stranger to road traffic collisions as just within these two months alone, numerous tragic incidents has transpired that led to fatality.
Motorcyclists are more vulnerable than other road users and, although they make up just one per cent of total road traffic, they account for 19 per cent of all road deaths.
“As a biker, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is a charity close to my heart,” said Hillier. “I am proud to be supporting such a worthwhile cause and to be able to help shine a light on the amazing work that the charity’s Critical Care Teams carry out every day of the year.”