James Toseland's Suzuka adventure starts

James Toseland has just arrived in Japan for the start of the most important few days of his season.

The World Superbike title leader is on his way to the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit to take part in the legendary Suzuka Eight Hour race, in which he will partner reigning British Superbike champion and current title leader Ryuichi Kiyonari. He will be joined in the race by fellow star imports Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa, who will team up on the second of the two official Honda HRC Fireblade entries. 

Toseland had much on his mind during the flight. At the recent Czech Republic World Superbike round, the formal offer for the 2008 season was tabled by Honda, and he is under pressure to make a decision within the next week about his intentions. 

Countering the hefty Honda offer – a big payday, technical assurances about next year’s all-new Fireblade, and the inevitable link to Honda’s MotoGP plans in 2009 – are virtually cast-iron offers from three MotoGP teams, Yamaha Tech 3, Gresini Honda, and D’Antin Ducati.

We’ll bring you updates on Toseland’s Suzuka experience throughout the week. Practice starts on Thursday.