Yamaha World SBK
After leaving MotoGP and returning to World Superbike for 2010, James Toseland did not have an awe-performing year, ending up ninth in the overall WSBK Championship.
Due to this, the double World Superbike Champion (2004 and 2007) didn’t retain his ride on the Yamaha Sterilgarda Superbike team, although rumors say he will be joining a satellite BMW team for 2011.
Toseland did well in the beginning of the season with four consecutive podiums, but a few crashes and an injury to his hand kept him out of the last four races of the 2010 World Superbike season.
On the World Superbike site, Toseland says he has understandably mixed feelings about his 2010 season, but asserts that when he had a good-set-up he was as competitive as ever.
James Toseland says: "When I was running at the front of races in Monza and Assen I did not feel I was being stretched any more than I was when I was racing Bayliss in ’07, or Haga in ’04. When everything was going right it didn’t feel like there was any differences at the front of the race. It is just the depth of the field that was strong this year. In ’07, when you had some issues, you finished third. In 2010 you would finish seventh or eighth."
Toseland also feels that advances in technology have helped to pack the Superbike grids this year.
James Toseland says: "In qualifying, the traction control and riders aids have made the bikes more rideable for a wider span of people. So, instead of there being seven or eight people in a second you are seeing 16 or 17. But that is good for the racing!"
Toseland’s career statistics in World Superbike are still the envy of most riders, and he is by no means finished yet in this category of races. James has two championship wins, 16 race victories, and a giant 61 podiums.
Official plans for 2011 will be announced soon.
