Toseland acknowledges pressure to keep ride

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s British star James Toseland was in good spirits at Wednesday’s pre-event gathering in Vienna, ahead of the Cardion AB Czech Republic Grand Prix, but he acknowledges that he must repeat the form he showed at Donington before the summer break if he wants to remain in MotoGP.

The Yorkshireman registered a season best result of sixth place in his home race just over two weeks ago but he still lies 12th in the standings and must move up over the course of the final seven races in 2009 to keep his Yamaha bosses happy.

In the build-up to the Czech action he stated, “I didn’t want the summer break, I wanted to go straight from Donington to Brno to keep the momentum going. I’ve had a tough start with some crashes and injuries in the winter tests and it’s nice to see things coming together again now. I need it to come together to keep my job in MotoGP.”

On the specifics of riding in the Czech Republic Toseland added, “In Brno, the bike always seems to be going slowly because the track is so fast and so wide and it’s a lot different to riding at Donington. With the undulation, the final hill up to the last chicane, it is probably one of the most undulating tracks other than Laguna Seca. It is one that everybody enjoys, it’s a real rider’s track.”

Meanwhile, noting the impressive atmosphere in Vienna city centre on Wednesday and the build-up to the weekend, he stated, “The people here, with it being a week day, it’s an amazing turn out, unbelievable. Brno has always a good crowd too, I have been there with Superbikes and MotoGP and they really love their motorcycles so it’s a great place to go.”