Another benefit has been my team-mate Chris Walker, who has a wealth of experience. He has been in Superbikes for ten or 11 years and has helped me a lot over pre-season testing. He has been putting a lot in and I’m very grateful for that. I just want to be nipping at his heels now. Everybody wants to beat their team-mate and be the number one rider in the team, and I will definitely be pushing. There are a few young riders coming up who I think are going to be doing that to their team-mates this year.
It’s certainly going to be hard. There’s the likes of Jonny Rea who will be up there. He is a similar sort of age to me but he has already had three years’ experience on Superbikes, whereas this is my first one, but I’m looking forward to it. I know the championship is going to be tough. There are people in it from a number of different countries, and they are the best in their country. I just can’t wait to mix it with them.
If I can take my experience of how I won the British Supersport Championship into Superbikes I will be alright. It’s just now a case of whether we can get everything right for the first weekend to put away the nerves and get into the top six.
I know it will take time. I had never been on a Superbike before the end of last year, so getting used to it has been quite hard but I’m confident I can be up there come the first race. I’m well aware that the championship can be lost in the first round but it can’t be won for sure.
If you look back at BSB over the past couple of years, there’s been no one new into it who has won a race in their first season. It took Leon Haslam quite a bit of time, even though he was there or thereabouts and on the podium all the time. It’s not easy to win in this series and I’m not being expected to this year. That’s very important for me – I’ve just got to play it safe. My aim is to be on the podium, and hopefully I will emerge as top rookie at the end of the year too.
Speak to you soon,
Cal
Top two pictures courtesy of Neil Gilbert
