DEAR JAMES...
It was with mixed emotions that I read about your decision to retire. Sad that we won't see your combative style any more; glad that you have survived a dangerous sport relatively unscathed despite a number of severe accidents.
I wonder how you feel? Happy with your world titles; with being, in recent years, the most famous bike racer in the UK; with a career spanning some 15 years at the top. Or a tad unfulfilled because you still believe you could have made it in MotoGP but didn't have the luck, the machinery or the time?
Well James, it should certainly be the former. Two World Superbike titles make you one of the WSB greats alongside the likes of Carl Fogarty. But it was your performance on the piano at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year which introduced you, and motor cycle racing, to an audience which was previously not aware of its existence.
And having someone, or something, call time on a career is sometimes no bad thing. Sportsman find it particularly difficult to call it a day and often outstay their welcome. Were it not for the injury you might well have believed you had another world title in you. And maybe you had.
You now have the prospect of forging a new career, one that you have been working at for some time. Music. As a player and a composer. And as someone who is more than capable of playing the beautiful melodies of Gershwin or knocking out a passable imitation of Jerry Lee Lewis plus writing material for your own album then you have a lot going for you.
As the great Mike Hailwood, himself a great music lover who tickled the ivories occasionally, once said after listening to one of his favourites who ranged from Barber to Bach:"I'd have given up all this motorbike stuff to be able to play music like that."
So there you are James. It'll be nice to see you again - whether it be Higham Ferrers village hall or the Albert Hall. And occasionally in the paddock. Good luck.
TEA AND SYMPATHY?
It is difficulty not to feel a bit of sympathy for Paul Bird and his Cumbrian motorsport team. Being dumped by one of the biggest corporations in Japan must have been hard to take.
But we shouldn't. Sympathy doesn't pay the bills and therefore he wouldn't want it; it had probably been coming for some time; he will be back.
'Birdy' his not everybody's cup of tea. But no-one can question his commitment to the sport or his generosity to certain individuals within it, ask Stuart Easton. Neither can they question his ability to make a team succeed. Innumerable race wins and a couple of British Superbike titles are testament to that.
Kawasaki was not the only team not to live up to expectations. At least they had a win and a pole to their credit. The mighty BMW, with all their motorsport technology(or because of), have been humiliated.
But with three riders in the garage, two of whom were crocked; bikes still in the process of development and therefore not quite good enough; and, quite frankly, a dysfunctional set-up, it is a credit to somebody the results achieved by Tom Sykes were as good as they were!
What makes a good team? Just look at Althea Ducati. One rider, two bikes, works Ducati backing and mechanics steeped in bike racing. More importantly, everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.
As for PBM Kawasaki, they will finish the season. Next year it will be PBM something and don't be surprised if it is MotoGP, running a private team in the new formula. He will be at Aragon next weekend being entertained by Messrs Espeleto and Trimby. It goes without saying that World Superbikes would love to keep him. Team owners with his investment capability and success record are hard to find these days.
The Cumbrian chicken magnate is in demand.
