Ken Hill

Kenneth E. Hill (born June 27, 1964) is a former motorcycle road racer turned riding and racing coach. He is considered to be one of the top motorcycle coaches in the United States for his work with successful riders in the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series. Hill coaches 2015 and 2018 MotoAmerica Supersport Champion J. D. Beach, and 2016 MotoAmerica race winners Valentin Debise and Cameron Petersen, as well as Daytona Anderson, Andy DiBrino, Hayden Gillim, Jake Lewis, Kyle Wyman, and Xavier Zayat. Other racers he has worked with in the past include Josh Herrin, Jayson Uribe, Elena Myers, and Martín Cárdenas.

Career Hill bought his first motorcycle, a 1993 Honda CBR600F2, at 30 years old. He started road racing in 1994, and made his AMA Pro Superbike debut in 2004, at the age of 41, finishing in the top ten.

Hill owns a private coaching company through which he liaises with several track companies in California and the Pacific Northwest to provide classroom instruction at track days as well as training seminars for instructors. He also runs an off-road riding school.

Hill is partnered with Rickdiculous Racing, where he directs the riding program. Since its inception in 2015, he has also led the Rick Development Camp for aspiring championship racers, with support from Team Hammer M4 race team. Hill designed the RDC curriculum with input from former World Superbike and AMA Superbike Champion Scott Russell, who is also on the program's coaching staff. Accordingly, Hill has described his approach to coaching as “being able to see what the best in the world are doing, to be able to decode and understand, and to be able to pass it on to other riders.” By 1977, Hill had qualified for national level racing in his age division.

Other ventures Prior to his motorcycle racing career, Hill worked in the automotive service and parts industry for more than fifteen years. He also owned and operated a Kawasaki dealership in Hayward, California. He was also a test rider for Buell Motorcycles, with which he partnered in 2009 for a track day series, and a test rider for Kawasaki Motorcycles.

In 2011, Hill collaborated with fellow YCRS instructor Nick Ienatsch to launch the subscription website FasterSafer.com. He also publishes a podcast in which he discusses motorcycle riding techniques and best practices, shares his opinions about racing, and interviews special guests.

In 2014, Hill spoke at Yale University alongside Scott Russell, Nick Ienatsch, and Jamie Bestwick about motorcycle racing and achieving success.