It was quite funny pulling up to the back of our garage at the Phillip Island test as it looked like you were parking in a used Volvo car yard. My sponsor Bilia kitted the team out with the latest XC90s and XC70s instead of the usual hire cars they normally get. At least the boys had a very safe and luxurious trip to and from the Island with the added bonus of dvd players in the back for the boys.
Last year I had a clear picture in my mind as to the finishing results in the championship before it had started. I was that close with my prediction that I wish I had laid a bet - I would be a rich man by now. I think it is a little harder this year to make a prediction as all I can say is that there are a lot of champions, ex-champions and wannabe champions starting in 2006. This will be the closest SBK Championship in many years with basically no backmarkers starting at all. I think it is pretty easy to see the riders that will feature but hard as to who will be the actual winner. My top five would be Bayliss – if he can stay on, Corser – for consistency, Barros - because I think he is a good rider (although he might find two races a day a bit challenging and won't know all the tracks), Haga - always there pushing hard and could win if he is ready to go at the start of the season, and finally Kagayama - on a bike that can win the championship so he needs to be at least in the top five. The rest will just be crazy.
As far as FPR is concerned I think that we will surprise quite a few people with our bike and we will definitely be faster than we were last year. We seem to have made a big leap forward so I'm sort of hoping the other teams haven't made quite as big step.
I am looking forward to getting back to Qatar for the first race as the test we did in December was very promising even though I was far from fit. I feel stronger than ever and can't wait to get the season off to a great start.
SM
