GBmoto Kawasaki’s James Ellison sees absolutely no reason why he can’t be competitve right from the word go in this year’s MCE British Superbike Championship which kicks off at Brands Hatch this weekend.
The Kendal man switched from Milwaukee Yamaha over the winter and says jumping on to a Kawasaki ZX-10R with Mark Smith-Halvorsen’s squad was the right thing to do
“The championship is what I’m focusing on. There is absolutely no reason why we can’t be in there fighting for it. I think we’ve got a strong package this year and although we’ve still got a bit of work to do, nothing is out of the question and I’m convinced we can be up there and competitive early on,” said Ellison, speaking to bikesportnews.com
“If I’m honest, after the first test at Cartagena I felt great. I knew instantly I’d made the right decision switching to the Kawasaki. When we tested at Donington earlier this month. We realised we had a few things still to do, a couple of things to try, but I’m pretty sure it will all be ironed out by the time we get to Brands Hatch.
“The team is brilliant. Mark has put together a great squad. Everyone is talented and exceptional at what they do. I’ve got Matt Llewellyn as my crew chief. I’ve raced with him before and he’s achieved a lot. From week one, we’ve all got on well.”
While Ellison makes his debut at Brands, new son Ryder will make his first appearance at a race weekend but Ellison believes nothing has changed with the appearance of his first-born.
“Being a dad doesn’t change anything when I’m out there on the bike doing my job. But when I’m done and I come back in and my little boy is there then, yeah, it is a little bit different. There’s someone else there by your side, in your corner.
“I don’t feel any different towards the racing side now I’m a dad, but I do think he actually gives me a little more motivation. I want to win this year, and I think we may have some hard work in the early rounds, but we should be up there soon enough. The Showdown should work in our favour. I’m there to win.”
