I'm still wearing the Tissott pole position watch that I won in Qatar last year but it's not the watch I want to return home with this time – it's the winner's trophy.

For the last sixth months I've been waiting for the moment on Friday afternoon in the middle of the Qatar desert when the 2009 125 cc World Championship season finally gets started. We've been through Christmas, snow, wind and rain during in the winter but that's all behind us because all my thoughts are firmly focused on the next eights months.

Last year, I took my very first pole position in Qatar which was very special but I didn't finish the race because of mechanical problems and came home with no points. In many ways that summed up my season, so I don't want it to happen again. This time it's crucial to score points because the next two rounds in Japan and Spain are close together. To start the season with few points will mean playing catch-up for the rest of the year and I just can't afford for that to happen. Obviously I will be flat out to win all three but points scoring is crucial before that long run of European races.

That good start is so important because there are between six or eight riders, the front two rows of the grid, who are capable of winning races this year.

The favourite after pre-season testing must be my new team-mate Julian Simon who was a 125 cc grand prix winner riding for KTM in 2006. He returns from the 250 cc class, which he found hard although he was often up there with the leaders, to the 125's and has been absolutely flying in testing. That's no great surprise to me because he's not arrived from nowhere and has always been a very talented rider. Its great having him as a team-mate because already set me a benchmark and has given me somebody to chase.

My new Aspar team have been fantastic during testing. Both team boss Jorge Martinez and team manager Gino Borsoi are quiet and calm. They've won World titles, so they understand pressure and stress and consequently go about their business with great efficiency, but with no fuss. They are always there to help and advise but let me get on with it. Everybody knows exactly what is expected of them before the start of the season.

You could not imagine a greater contrast between my Oxfordshire village of Forest Hill and the Gulf State of Qatar with it's massive high rise buildings, extravagant hotels, the desert and of course the sea. I always look forward to going there because it's so different to anywhere else I go to - and the same can be said about the Losail circuit.

You don't see Camels at the side of the road when you drive into Donington. It's in the middle of the desert and because of the sand and the wind the track can be very dusty. However, the biggest difference is the races and practices are held at night under floodlights. Last year was the first time a grand prix on two or four wheels had been held at night and it was an amazing spectacle. It was an incredible experience to be involved in history, especially when I took that pole position.

Despite having since the end of last October to get ready for the 2009 season, as always the last week has turned into the usual rush. I was up in London to pick up all my training gear from the Adidas Performance shop thanks to Chris Nurse and Fyshe Race-boots and also had a final check-up with my physio. He gave me a real going over and especially the ankle I damaged in Barcelona last year. He gave me the all clear to get out there and do the business

So, no excuses. My fourth grand prix season and I've got to start winning races. I'm fully fit and have the support of a great team and family. It's down to me and at last the moment has arrived. I'm not nervous but just full of anticipation. Up until now the year has been all about hard work but with no end result.

That all changes this weekend when we get back to racing and I'm ready to go out and start winning grand prix races!

Bradley Smith