Hill's last visit to the Kent track in October ended with the Swan Yamaha rider celebrating his maiden BSB title, as he edged out John Hopkins by just two points in the final standings thanks to two fourth places and a second at the three-race season finale.

Hill, who hails from Beckenham in Kent, has his sights firmly set on retaining the championship, but with a number of regulation changes for the 2012 season and a host of new contenders set to challenge him in Monday's opening races, the 27-year-old knows it will not be a straightforward task.

"I am looking forward to getting back to Brands Hatch as I have such great memories of the last time I raced there when we won the title," said Hill.

"We want to pick up where we left off last year as it is key to come away from the first rounds with some strong finishes so we can carry the momentum to the next round.

"We have been feeling positive after pre-season testing, but it will come down to Easter Monday when the racing really starts."

Two-times BSB champion Shane Byrne set the pace in Friday's final pre-season test session at the Brands Indy circuit.

Riding the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki, Byrne, who ended last season with a double race win for Honda at the same circuit, set a best time of 46.954 seconds.

That put him narrowly ahead of Australia's Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) with Samsung Honda's Michael Laverty third ahead of defending champion Hill.