from ... John Hopkins

I'm flat out right now getting everything ready before I leave California for Europe for a hectic few weeks. I'm just in the final stages of packing up all my gear and getting in some last minute training, so I'll be as fit as possible for what's coming up.

I'm going to the Cartagena and Guadix circuits in Spain first of all for a couple of British Superbike tests. This will be the first time I'll ride the Crescent GSX-R1000, so I'm really looking forward to that. It will be good to get to work with my new team and to finally get back on a bike again. I'm really excited and motivated about these tests as it will show me where my speed is at and what we have to do with the bike to make it right for me before the season starts.

Straight after the Spanish tests I'm off to Qatar to join up with the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team to help them with some filming and stuff before their final pre-season test. It will be good to meet up with my old team and I'm really excited about being involved again.

I just can't wait to ride the GSV-R again, I have real happy memories of that bike and it'll be fun to see how fast it is now compared to 2007! Even though it's not a race I'm sure I'll be able to give it a bit of a run for the cameras and get a feel for the Grand Prix Suzuki again.

I'm then back to Europe to get ready for the first BSB race at Brands Hatch. This will be a pretty big deal for me as I've never raced there, but my parents come from London and I've still got a lot of family in the UK, so I hope it will feel like a home race. The atmosphere when I rode the GP bike there a few years back was super-cool; it's exciting to know that this year I'll be lining up with the guys and going for the win!