"I'm a happy boy now! This is what I wanted to thank the Superbike championship for the seven years they've given me. I've had a great career here and I'm going to miss everyone," said JT, who will ride for Yamaha Tech 3 in 2008. "Winning this second championship has rounded things off nicely and now I can move on."
Toseland joined the premier SBK class in 2001, took his first podium in 2002, first win in 2003 and first world title in 2004 - but then plummeted back down to earth with a disappointing 2005 season, which left him unemployed and in tears.
"I've been fortunate to work with some great people during my time here," began the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider. "When I first came here with GSE, they and Neil Hodgson taught me how to ride a motorcycle properly. All I was was a piano-playing kid with a bit of natural talent, who just dedicated his life to riding motorcycles. I needed nurturing to actually ride to a world championship level.
"From GSE I went to the factory team of Ducati, which taught me a lot about what a factory can offer. They and Davide Tardozzi gave me the bike and the package to win my first World Superbike championship at 23 years old. That will always be strong in my mind, but then came the disappointments of 2005 - the inconsistencies, the crashes, the injuries and finishing fourth in the championship.
"Then I lost my job. I walked away from this very track, two years ago, in tears. With nothing. Nobody wanted me. So I've had my best memories and my worst memories here at Magny-Cours," he admitted.
Toseland's career was rejuvenated by the Dutch-based Ten Kate team, which hired the Englishman to replace future
MotoGP winner
Chris Vermeulen for 2006.
