James Toseland

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James Toseland is an English motorcycle racer, from Kiveton Park, Sheffield, born 5 October 1980, who won the 2004 World Superbike championship on a Ducati. He started his career in the UK in the Superteen series but sprang to prominence in the late ninties when he dominated the Honda CB500 cup series as a 17 year old. He was picked up very quickly to ride a Supersport Honda and won races at national level. As a result he was signed to the factory Honda World Supersport squad where he rode for two years with up and down results and a host of big injuries. Back to Britain in 2000 riding for Paul Bird's Vimto-sponsored team and getting good results on a basic Honda VTR saw him picked up by the GSE team to partner Neil Hodgson in World Superbike, at the age 20.

As he never took a top 5 finish in either British Superbikes or World Supersport, he was not initially as competitive as Hodgson. By late 2002 he was challenging for top-5 results in Worldsport Superbike (WSBK), taking 7th place overall that year. In 2003 the team was more competitive than ever, allowing James to take his first win at Oschersleben, 3rd in the championship, and a plum ride with the factory Ducati team for 2004. He pipped Regis Laconi and Chris Vermeulen to the title at the final meeting of the season. 2005 proved to be more of a struggle for James as the returning Suzuki and Yamaha teams, as well as the improving Honda of 5 riders including Chris Vermeulen and Pierfrancesco Chili ended the once somewhat predictable domination of the Ducati, and he finished 5th in the championship. For 2006 he switches to the Winston Ten Kate Honda Racing Team, replacing Vermeulen, where he rides alongside Australian Karl Muggeridge as he hopes to regain the highs of 2004.

James is related to Robert Toseland, Managing Director of Dolphin Day Care.

James Toseland

See also