Although not a pure road racer, James Toseland is a motorcycle world champion. At the end of his 2006 season, we decided to catch up with James to collect his thoughts on his career to date and his future expectations.

So James you made your name racing CB 500s?

Yes it was quite strange how it came about. We had no history of motorbikes in the family at all really. I had my piano playing all planned out which would have included me going to the London College of Music and hopefully earn a few quid at it. However my mum met a guy called Ken when I was about 9 years old, he rode a bike on the road. I asked him for a bike for Christmas and he bought me one so I did a bit of Superteen racing.

So here I was playing the piano and riding a motorbike. As I was still in school I had to keep the piano playing pretty quiet as its not the coolest thing in the world when you are that age but once people knew I had a motorbike I had lots of new mates, so I thought Im going to keep this up!

Unfortunately as the years went by we had a couple of problems in the family and my mothers relationship then ended in 1996. At this point I was going to finish with road racing as the only man who could take me out and act as a mechanic had gone.

So I finished with road racing but still kept doing a bit of motor-crossing up in Sheffield. I used to go out on my own a lot and managed to find a few play mates and race around with them. One day I was racing with this guy and I asked him what his name was. Unbeknown to be it was Mick Corrigan (the British Supersport runner up in 1996) and he was living in my village.

I think it was March 1997 when I received a phone call from Mick asking me if I would like to ride a CB500, I didnt even know what a CB500 was. They were pretty keen to draft a young rider into the CB500 cup as 1997 was the first year the cup was run. I said I would love to but then I was asked for £15,000. Well we didnt have that much money at the time so it was going to be difficult. However, I asked my Mum and I dont know how I convinced her, but she said yes.

Six months from the day my Mum said yes I had a 2 year contract with Castrol Honda in World Supersport. I had won 9 out of 10 races in the CB 500 championship. It was really strange how I went from nothing to being pretty hot property.

So Mick Corrigan spotted your talent at a really early stage?

Basically from just flying around a field with him on a motor-cross bike! That was it! He obviously knew I could ride a motorbike but he hadnt even seen me on a road racing bike. Its quite funny really. Because I was only 16 years old I had to race in the Newcomers class in my first race was at Brands Hatch. . I think you had to be 21 to ride in the National class.

Mick Corrigan didnt even come down to Brands with me that weekend, I went down with his brother Bob. On the Friday I went out and qualified five seconds in front of second place. A few people were then trying to get me to move up to the National class but they were all saying that I cant because of my age. So Bob called Mick and told him he had better come down as I had qualified 5 seconds faster than anyone else. Mick turned up, made a big fuss and gets me up into the National class. I then qualified 2.5 seconds faster than anyone else in the National class and as I say, went on to win 9 out of 10 races.

Mick then had a motor-cross accident and damaged his should so he couldnt ride his 600. So 4 or 5 rounds into the British Supersport championship Honda decided to put me on the 600. I then went on to win the last 5 out of 6 races in that championship against some pretty good boys including Jim Moodie and Ian Simpson. I was still 16 years old - how it all happened I still do not know!

And you then flipped the 600 at Brands Hatch?

Yes that was the penultimate round. I won the race, and still being 16 years old, I thought Im going to pull one of the best wheelies ever. I did, but I also landed on my arse and I havent lived it down since!

How competitive was the 600 Honda?

Very competitive, definitely one of the quickest bikes out there. Ironically the bike was tuned by Ten Kate. Also, I was only 16 and I think I was about nine stone wet though! So it was a competitive package.

And from there you went onto World Supersport?

Yes, Honda entered me into what was then the European championship (in 1997 it didnt have the world title). I was racing at Brands in front of over 120,000 fans, remember these were the Foggy days. I was leading the race but unfortunately went on the grass and finished third. It was great battle with Sebastian Charpentier who is now two times World Supersport champion. Quite ironic really as well be team mates next year, 10 years on since out first battles. But 1997 was a pretty special year.

Castrol Honda then started their assault on the World Supersport championship whilst running Colin Edwards and Aaron Slight at World Superbike. So from having nothing, all of a sudden Im signing contracts to be in the same team as Colin Edwards and Aaron Slight!

But then you had what must have been the worst weekend of your career at Monza?

Well you can imagine how I felt after 1997, it was a whirlwind of a year. The first round in 1998 was at Donington but unfortunately I crashed at Macleans on lap 2. I then went on to Monza which was co-incidentally the first race I had entered outside of the UK. I crashed on the Friday afternoon and broke both my ankles. It was a pretty bad injury as both my ankles needed pinning so it ruled me out for about five weeks.

Just as I got home my brother told me the devastating news that my team mate, Michael Paquay, had been killed. Michael was a really nice guy and also very fast on a motorbike. So from the whirlwind I was back at home, sat in a wheelchair and my team mate had been killed. It was a real come-down.

Did that de-motivate you?

It didnt de-motivate me but it did make me realise exactly what had happened over the last year. Everything had happened that fast that I just didnt have a chance to think about it and then all of a sudden I did. I knew at this point I needed to get fit again as soon as possible and get back on the bike. I knew I needed to keep working on my World Championship career otherwise I could have ended up getting stuck back in the UK.

How did you find working with Neil Tuxworth?

He was good. He didnt really have a hands on managerial role within the garage but he was very good as a manager in terms of organisation and keeping everything happy. He was very good in that sense.

You then went on to Paul Bird after that?

Yes I did. To be honest I was a little bit disappointed with Honda after 1999 because they didn't tell me I had a job until quite late on in the year. When they did tell me they had something it was in British Supersport. I had already beaten many of the British Supersport boys two years before. I wanted to move forward and I told them that. So they offered me a ride with Paul Bird in British Superbike which felt like a bit of a side step from where I'd been.

Anyway the bike turned up a week before the championship started and it was a nail. It was basically an road going SP1 without the lights. I had to do all the pre-season testing on a NSR 500 twin! It was the same bike that Paul Bird ran at the North West 200 and the like. I must say though that the Paul Bird team was absolutely fantastic. Although the bike was not competitive, we all dug deep and tried really hard. The last race I did on that bike was at Oulton Park when I finished 5th. I beat John Crawford on the Suzuki and Neil Mackenzie on the INS Ducati. I felt like I had won the race, I was doing burn outs and everything!

A week after that I went to a test at Cadwell Park and broke my femur at Charlies. It was definitely the worst injury of my life. At one point my leg was wrapped around my head. I had to wait 45 minutes for the air ambulance to come to take me to hospital and I was conscious throughout. I was a complete mess.

Cadwell Park has often had negative reviews and is conisdered very dangerous by many, what are your views?

Errr, I don't mind it, but it is dangerous. There has been a lot of people killed there. However, as a spectator it's really popular. It is dangerous, but that is why it's popular.

You then went to GSE in World Superbike?

Yes, this is where my career turned round. I had proved that on an uncompetitve bike I could dig deep and try very hard to get some results. Everybody had been saying I went to World Supersport far too early. I must say though that although the Honda's at World Supersport had Castrol colours on them, they weren't very competitive so I had had a fair bit of time on uncompetitve bikes.

At this point all the manufacturers were interested but I thought the accident was to be a massive problem as they would all want me to come back from injury and see what I was like. It was then I met Roger Burnett who is now my manager. He told me he was trying to get me into the GSE World Superbike team to ride alongside Neil Hodgson. I sort of laughed it off at the time.

Roger came up to me again at Donington Park and told me he thinks he is getting close to a deal. I thought “what the hell is this guy on? I've got a broken leg in 3 places and Roger Burnett is trying to get me a ride in World Superbike alongside Neil Hodgson!

Anyway, there I was at the last round of the British Superbike Championship, the big race where Walker broke down. Honda called me and wanted me to have a meeting with Paul Bird. So there I was sat down and Honda were telling me that they wanted to give me factory SP2's for the following year in the British Superbike Championship. I was thinking that this is pretty awesome, factory bikes in the British Superbikes.

No more than 30 minutes later Colin Wright called me. He had literally just won the British Superbike Championship with Neil Hodgson. He asked me to go down for a meeting so I hobbled down on my crutches. Hodgson was still there in his leathers getting pissed up! Colin asked me a couple of questions then put a piece of paper in front of me which was an offer to ride alongside Neil Hodgson in World Superbikes.

Colin asked me how much money I wanted. I told him I don't want anything, where do I sign? I was prepared to do it for nothing. Colin told me to go to his house on the following Monday where he asked me again how much I want. I said give me the same as I had that year, which was peanuts, and I'll be happy, so I signed. I called Honda straight away to let them know as we'd only had a chat, nothing was signed.

My contract said I had to finish in the top 10 in the first year and top 6 in the second year to keep my contract. In the first year I broke down about 6 times and finished 13th. When I did finish I was finishing in the top 10 so because of that I kept my job. In the second year I had a podium at Assen and finished in 7th. So I signed another 2 year contract for 2003 and 2004. In 2003 I finished 3rd and won a race with them.

Ducati then promised to make us the factory Ducati team in 2004. The Tardozzi team was going to go to Moto GP with the new 4 stroke but that didn't happen because D'Antin came in. HM Plant were absolutely furious - they had the same promise you see. HM Plant are an escavator company who used to have a relationship with Fiat and Hitachi. When Fiat and Hitachi separated HM Plant chose to stick with Hitachi. With Hitachi being Japanese HM Plant wanted a Japanese manufacturer...Honda. So then we were going to be on factory Honda's, instead of Ducatis. It was to be HM Plant Honda and with the new Fireblade coming out that year it was looking really good.

But then the Pirelli control tyre came in. Honda had a contract with Michelin at the time so they pulled out. I was contracted with GSE and, as they had no bikes, they had to terminate my contract so I was left in a bit of a predicament. Fortunately for me I had the opportunity to take Neil Hodgson's place when he went to Moto GP.

Was bringing in the Pirelli rule World Superbikes' darkest day?

At the time, the Pirelli rule was the worst decision that could have been made. However, it has took two or three years to get back to being a great championship. This year the racing was absolutely fantastic.

Did Davide Tardozzi expect you to win the Championship in 2004?

Not at all. You could see that on his face when I won it! Tardozzi has never had both riders being able to win the Championship going into the last round. Laconi was five points in front, he'd just had a double win at Imola, and he was going to his home meeting at Magny Cours to win the Championship. He was the favourite and everything was Regis Laconi, everything was 55'd up! So I went there and spoiled the party a bit.

The French market was pretty poor at the time for Ducati so it would have been good for them to have a French winner. They had Laconi promotional stuff everywhere. They even had a big promotional thing in America. Laconi raced the last round of the AMA Championship but he was supposed to be turning up as World Superbike Champion to promote Ducati in America. He still had to go because his flight was booked!

Ducati were not unhappy that I had won though. It was a plan that went wrong but Davide Tardozzi and the management were still overjoyed for me.

Did having everything aimed at Regis Laconi to win the Championship spur you on to better him?

Not really. I think I'm pretty good under pressure. I basically said to Roger Burnett that I didn't want to go home in second so I went out and did the job. It was similar this year where I wasn't prepared to finish third. Once I get into that frame of mind I'll do whatever it takes.

How did Laconi take the defeat?

Really well. He was very sporting. His Mum and Dad were there and they were lovely. They congratulated me a so forth. At the end of the day we finished one two, the team had done the job. Nobody went mad in terms of celebrations until I went to Las Vegas with nine of my friends, that was good!

Did you feel wanted by Ducati at this point?

If Id have finished second then I dont think Id have been riding for them. But they couldnt sack the world champion could they! They are just my thoughts. I had plenty of others at this time, from every manufacturer. Every manufacturer wants the number 1 on their bike, whether they won the championship on that bike or not.

Ducati still gave me a package to win the World Championship. I was really happy with the team and enjoyed my two years with them. 2005 was a bit difficult though. I started the year with a big crash and then had further problems throughout the year. Then I got the sack which was fair enough so it was time to move on.

Did you find it harder to maintain the championship than win it?

No, not really. 2005 saw the introduction of traction control and we had a few problems with it. I was testing it at Qatar when it failed on me. It resulted in probably my biggest crash ever. I was lucky that I didnt break anything, I think that was because I passed out when it launched me so I was more relaxed.

I then went into the first race black and blue only for the traction control to fail again. I lost my confidence in the system and then lots of little things built up. It was just one of them seasons with one thing after another. It was just a bad year.

So then it was time to move onto the Hondas with no traction control and another 10-15 bhp?

Yes! There was plenty of work to do. The great thing for Honda was that I was bringing over the experience of using the traction control. Hondas work effort is unbelievable. When they go home they come back with something new. They are always thinking, always trying.

After 2005 though nobody wanted me in World Superbikes, I only had one offer which was from Ten Kate. It was all banking on Chris Vermuelen leaving the team to go to Moto GP and Honda werent giving him the Moto GP ride so I was getting nervous. The only thing Ducati would offer me was a ride alongside Neil Hodgson in AMA but I wanted that like a bloody hole in the head! Fortunately for me Chris went to Moto GP so I got the ride. I was very fortunate.

You were offered a ride at DAntin Ducati in Moto GP for 2007?

Yes I was. Lucio Ceccinello also really wanted me to sign for his team. He also really wanted to sign Casey Stoner but he couldnt afford to run a 2 man team. Stoner then signed for Ducati in place of Gibernau. Ceccinello gave Roger a call but wed already signed with Honda at that point. I could have been riding that bike next year. However a year with Ten Kate Honda on one of the most competitive packages in World Superbikes will not do me any harm at all.

So do you expect to win the World Superbike Championship next year?

Yes, Im expected to win it. I expect myself to win it. Ill be disappointed if I dont. I want to be champion. It will be my second year on the bike and Im ready for it.

Looking a bit further ahead, do you see your career going to Moto GP?

I recently rode Danny Pedrosas Repsol Honda after the last round of the Moto GP at Valencia. It was a pretty uncomfortable ride as Danny is a hobbit but still really good. Because the clocks went back the night before, the circuit closed an hour early so I only got 8 laps in but within those 8 laps I was hitting 1m34.1s. Troy Baylis quickest time in the Moto GP was a 1m34 flat so I was really happy with that. The Japanese bosses were there and they saw that a British rider can cut it at the front so that was pretty good.

With the television coverage in the UK being so good at the minute, that was a major plus point. Dorna want a British rider at the front of Moto GP. The sport is very unsympathetic though, if you dont do the business, youre out!

What would you say is the best path for a young British rider to make it to that level?

Britains biggest problem is that the 125cc and 250cc classes have never been that strong. With the new 800cc Moto GP bikes, the riding style needs to be similar to that of a 250cc. But now there is no 250cc class in the British Championship it looks to be ever more difficult. However, if you look at Nicky Hayden, a former AMA Superbike Champion, Troy Bayliss, the World Superbike Champion, it is quite do-able as a 4-stroke rider.

What is your favourite circuit?

I really like Laguna Seca. Unfortunately Moto GP have pinched it from us but hopefully Ill go back there in Moto GP in 2008. Its a pretty dangerous circuit but thats why its so good. You have to concentrate so much. Its a really enjoyable place to ride.

To stray away from your career, I know many of our readers will want to know this, would you ever race on public roads?

Absolutely no chance [We guessed that! –Ed.], my mother wouldnt allow it for starters! I have got the utmost respect for those who ride the roads, they are unbelievable. I usually try to get myself over to the TT depending on how the calendar falls. I was stood at the bottom of Bray Hill with some friends last year and they too were amazed. Just a shame you cant get an ice cream down there any more!

James Toseland Facts:

Born: James was born on 5th October 1980.
CB500's: At the age of 17, James dominated the CB500 championship before riding to race victory with Honda in the British Supersport Championship.
World Champion: In 2004, James became a motorcyle world champion by winning the World Superbike Championship.
Piano: James is a very keen piano player, being able to play at a professional level. He recently played with legend Jools Holland.

James Toseland was talking to Ben Oates and Gerald Bradley.

We would like to thank James for taking the time to talk to us and wish him the very best of luck for the 2007 season.