James Toseland writing in the Guardian
Discussion
James said:
Sunday is the day when I officially leave my comfort zone and begin my attempt to become the best of the best as I make my MotoGP debut in the first race of the season in Qatar. I've been waiting a long time for it, as it seems an age since I announced my decision to leave World Superbikes to make the step up to MotoGP with the Yamaha Tech3 team, and with just days to go I couldn't be happier with how my preparations have gone.
There's been talk that this will be a learning season for me, as I get used to the paddock and the new circuits, but I don't buy into that; I'm aiming for success straight away, although I do know that if I'm not successful this season I will keep coming back for more until I am. I haven't set myself any goals, either for this race or season, but I am the most competitive, bone-headed person I know when it comes to winning, so I'm focused purely on that and won't allow anything to stand in my way.
It really is a big leap from Superbikes to MotoGP though - I've had to challenge everything I thought I knew a motorbike could do. After seven years racing in the lower class I thought I'd pushed myself to the limit, but if I tell you that I've been lapping around five seconds quicker on my new bike then you begin to get some idea of how much difference there has been and how much I've had to alter my perspectives.
There are a few reasons for this, the principal one being that a MotoGP bike is around 35kg lighter than a Superbike. With my new weapon of choice being so much lighter I've had to lose 5kg myself as I don't need so much muscle mass to drag my machine around corners, so that also lightens the load.
The differences in the technology and in breaking are also pretty scary at first. In my first few tests I was well off the pace, but my engineer sat me down and said: "Look at where you are braking compared to [team-mate] Colin Edwards. He is braking 15 to 20 metres later than you." I was amazed as I didn't have any idea you could brake so late and that the brakes would respond so suddenly. That changes the racing line so much - that conversation altered my perception of what I could do on the track.
But since then it's all been positive - bar one tumble I had in which I hurt my ankle, although it has healed, thankfully - and this week I've been performing well and managed to come second in the last testing session, which puts me in great shape going into this race.
And I feel ready for it. At 27 I'm older than the majority of those who make their debut in MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo, who is also making his debut, is 20, a much more typical age - but to me that means I just have to make my mark quicker. I'm equally sure that I made the right decision in switching classes. I'd spent seven years in Superbikes, winning two World Championships, but I was in a comfort zone. I could have happily stayed - I was earning good money, a big fish in a small pond and winning most weeks - but I had to challenge myself. And in MotoGP I know I'm coming up against the best of the best.
But who do I expect will be the best this season? To my mind there are three that stand out: Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa. Quite simply, they stand out as they are hugely talented riders on the best, factory-produced bikes. But behind those three there are 15 of us who are desperate for that fourth spot - and I consider myself very much among them.
I feel I know the track in Qatar extremely well, having done a lot of testing on it, and the fact that it is the first ever race to be conducted under floodlights is also a boon for me as I was among the first to test on it and understand the difference it makes better than anyone. It's a very odd feeling actually, racing under floodlights, as the artificial illumination is so strong that it's like the middle of the day - apart from the fact it's about 15 degrees colder, which affects the tyres.
But I'm looking to take advantage of that and surprise everyone. I thought I'd be nervous going into this but I'm really not, I'm just excited about what is about to happen and full of confidence that I can make the most of it.
This is a wonderful opportunity for me and I've spent my life working towards it. My Mum is flying out for the race, and I want to make her proud and I want to make my British fans proud as I know they will be cheering me on.
So bring on the weekend!
Good stuff there on the step-up in class from WSB to Moto GP. Braking 15-20m later into the corners and 5 secs a lap quicker! There's been talk that this will be a learning season for me, as I get used to the paddock and the new circuits, but I don't buy into that; I'm aiming for success straight away, although I do know that if I'm not successful this season I will keep coming back for more until I am. I haven't set myself any goals, either for this race or season, but I am the most competitive, bone-headed person I know when it comes to winning, so I'm focused purely on that and won't allow anything to stand in my way.
It really is a big leap from Superbikes to MotoGP though - I've had to challenge everything I thought I knew a motorbike could do. After seven years racing in the lower class I thought I'd pushed myself to the limit, but if I tell you that I've been lapping around five seconds quicker on my new bike then you begin to get some idea of how much difference there has been and how much I've had to alter my perspectives.
There are a few reasons for this, the principal one being that a MotoGP bike is around 35kg lighter than a Superbike. With my new weapon of choice being so much lighter I've had to lose 5kg myself as I don't need so much muscle mass to drag my machine around corners, so that also lightens the load.
The differences in the technology and in breaking are also pretty scary at first. In my first few tests I was well off the pace, but my engineer sat me down and said: "Look at where you are braking compared to [team-mate] Colin Edwards. He is braking 15 to 20 metres later than you." I was amazed as I didn't have any idea you could brake so late and that the brakes would respond so suddenly. That changes the racing line so much - that conversation altered my perception of what I could do on the track.
But since then it's all been positive - bar one tumble I had in which I hurt my ankle, although it has healed, thankfully - and this week I've been performing well and managed to come second in the last testing session, which puts me in great shape going into this race.
And I feel ready for it. At 27 I'm older than the majority of those who make their debut in MotoGP - Jorge Lorenzo, who is also making his debut, is 20, a much more typical age - but to me that means I just have to make my mark quicker. I'm equally sure that I made the right decision in switching classes. I'd spent seven years in Superbikes, winning two World Championships, but I was in a comfort zone. I could have happily stayed - I was earning good money, a big fish in a small pond and winning most weeks - but I had to challenge myself. And in MotoGP I know I'm coming up against the best of the best.
But who do I expect will be the best this season? To my mind there are three that stand out: Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa. Quite simply, they stand out as they are hugely talented riders on the best, factory-produced bikes. But behind those three there are 15 of us who are desperate for that fourth spot - and I consider myself very much among them.
I feel I know the track in Qatar extremely well, having done a lot of testing on it, and the fact that it is the first ever race to be conducted under floodlights is also a boon for me as I was among the first to test on it and understand the difference it makes better than anyone. It's a very odd feeling actually, racing under floodlights, as the artificial illumination is so strong that it's like the middle of the day - apart from the fact it's about 15 degrees colder, which affects the tyres.
But I'm looking to take advantage of that and surprise everyone. I thought I'd be nervous going into this but I'm really not, I'm just excited about what is about to happen and full of confidence that I can make the most of it.
This is a wonderful opportunity for me and I've spent my life working towards it. My Mum is flying out for the race, and I want to make her proud and I want to make my British fans proud as I know they will be cheering me on.
So bring on the weekend!
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