When reigning WSB champ James Toseland became a rookie in MotoGP this year, many observers expected relatively little. After all, aside from the fact Toseland would be on the track with the greatest riders on the planet, he lacked experience on many of the MotoGP tracks, and would have to familiarize himself with an entirely new 800cc machine. To say that Toseland has surprised almost everyone would be somewhat of an understatement. He has surprised, and even astonished some observers by being consistently quick . . . even when visiting a track for the first time.
This weekend, Toseland will take his Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP machine onto an extremely familiar playground, the Donington circuit. Toseland literally knows this track like the back of his hand. As an English rider, Donington could be considered his home track.
He sits in seventh place in the championship series after seven rounds. Toseland has finished in seventh position or better in six races. Not bad for a rookie in MotoGP, but he clearly wants a podium finish this weekend at Donington, and he will lack any excuses related to his familiarity with the circuit. His bike seems capable, so let’s see what he can do.
