Champ fights

Jacqui: British Superbikes champion in 2003 and then after a difficult season last year you had offers to move elesewhere. But you've stayed at Moto GP - are you where you want to be?

Shane:Yeah, I said last year that I was looking forward to working on some stuff but missed out on so many races that I never got it sorted so I thought I'd better try and stay out there and work on that, for one.

There were so many offers and things I could have gone and done. To be honest I got on the tank so early last year that my focus is purely on Moto GP where I want to stay.

Back as early as June last year I got offers to do other championships and to do other things - usually that sort of stuff comes to a halt.

At Moto GP I never really even bothered to do anything, then we got to January, February and I was thinking all these offers that I turned down - have I done the right thing?

I was sort of going from pillar to post for such a long time and not really knowing what's going to happen.

But I've had a lot of support from a lot of people in Moto GP and I really appreciate that and it's real good to be back here and looking forward to the season.

J: New team, new bike - how do you feel?

S: We've had a few ups and downs, now we've got a direction. It's a whole new project and that's what's really exciting about it, you know, because there is so much potential with work going different ways and I think its an uphill battle, certainly for the first few GPs, but from now on we need to keep on making progress and moving forward.

J: The first time you rode a Moto GP bike, that was special wasn't it?

S: Yes, the funny thing was they sent me two bikes and I remember my first two laps on the Aprilia sort of blew me away.

I was absolutely flabbergasted by the thing and wondered how on earth I was going to race on something like that?

You know I went out and the first test at Valencia that I had a few weeks ago was my first real go back on a bike since I hurt myself last year and not that I'm doubting my ability, but there was always a question mark - it was something that was never going to be. You know you can be revved up, do whatever training you want, but soon as you get back on one of these bikes it's totally different.

There was always a little question mark at the back of my mind, was I really going to be alright?

And I remember my first few laps on a KTM thinking, you know, what if I get killed?

The Aprilia is so full-on, so powerful, but at the end of the day the KTM seems really rideable. I'm more than happy with the job so I'm a really happy boy!

WHEN advising Shane that I was going to speak to Hoppy (John Hopkins), he suggested I ask about his CD collection - not to Shane's taste. One evening, while he and some other riders were staying at Hoppy's place, they saw his CDs and started using them as frisbies!

MOTO GP

Rider: Shane Byrne

Team: Roberts

Bike: KTM-powered Proton KR