James Toseland pledges major improvement

British rider James Toseland has pledged to dig deep and make major improvements after he slumped to a bitterly frustrating 13th place in Jerez.

The double World Superbike champion accepts his performances are simply not good enough in a brutally honest self-appraisal of his current struggle.

Toseland has scored just ten points in the opening three races and the 28-year-old struggling to find a chassis and suspension set-up on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1.

He told MCN: “These are tough times for me. It’s frustrating but I’m not going to let it get me down.

“I’ve obviously had a really bad start to the season and its not good enough from me. The team and Yamaha expect a lot more and I can’t go finishing down in 13th. Those results are not acceptable.

“I’m riding as hard as I can every single lap but its not clicking. I know it is not good enough and I need to get it together and show the potential of the bike.”

Toseland said it was too early to press the panic button and he’s confident he’ll find a solution to his set-up issues.

“The time I lost in the winter is really hurting me now. We’re still making big changes to the bike and we’re in the third race. I can’t pinpoint one area I need to improve.

“I need a better balance from the front and rear. I’m not a million miles off. I’m half-a-second to a second off where I need to be, but the confidence to push is still there. If I was two seconds off I’d need to start worrying.

“If I was 13th and riding on the limit of potential and capability I’d be worried. I wrestled with the bike in Jerez and you don’t need to be doing a lot wrong in this paddock and you’re out of the top ten.”