The Bennetts James Toseland Video Diary - Donington Park 19/06/2008

Part 4 - Questions, questions and more questions

There are a lot of signatures on the red MCN sofa, an awful lot. I manage to identify the easy ones: JT, Valentino Rossi, Randy Mamola, Nicky Hayden but then I start to struggle. This furniture item would be useless in a bike fan’s house. You would spend your time boring your guests senseless trying to educate them as to who the signatures belong to. My concentration on the identification task is interrupted by the arrival of an MCN journalist. The reporter asks the RBP team if he can grab a few words with James after his set. I get the real sense someone else has been Toseland chasing all day and is desperate to grab some interview material to finish their working day.  

 

A crescendo of cheers signals the end of the Crash set, and James bounces down into the backstage area with a satisfied look on his face. It is obvious that the final Crash set has been well received by a public desperate to satisfy their ever growing appetite for their home hero. The Crash performances are one way in which JT can give back something to his fans and he never disappoints. I have watched the Crash boys for a few years now at several gigs, and their professionalism and ability seems to improve each time.  Ok, you would expect the three jobbing musicians in the band to be consistent performers but trust me, they are all very talented. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment in performing to the bike crowd is evident. If you have never seen the boys perform live, you owe to yourself to address that personal issue.

 

James grabs a bottle of water and for the first time during the day he looks as though he is ready to take five minutes for himself. However the MCN reporter has other ideas. Ever the media professional, the thoughtful engaging interview mode is switched on, and Toseland answers for about the tenth time today just how he feels about being Britain’s first MotoGP rider since Barry Sheene with a real chance of success. I sit and listen to the answers I have heard and seen many times previously on the Internet and in the papers during the preceding week. The intensity and belief in his answers is evident and you sense a real determination in the lad. In all honesty, watching him close up and real time, or without being in a crowd kept behind a barrier some metres away, the intensity is almost unnerving. If self-belief makes a MotoGP champion then James Toseland will be MotoGP champion one day.

 

With the clock rapidly approaching 4pm, Roger Burnett reminds James he is due at the official Dorna press conference for the event shortly.  The hard working manager looks at me and smiles: “I promise I will bring him back for the video diary. In fact, go with the team to the hospitality unit and we’ll meet you after the press conference”. And with that promise and a twist of paddock scooter throttle, the pair is gone.

 

I feel tired. I ask the RBP team how they manage to conduct their day at such a high octane pace. Knowing nods and smiles are returned in my direction. “It’s just how it is. More so since MotoGP” is the answer but I can tell they would not have it any other way.  We stroll across to the paddock, and wander past the team hospitality units. The public access is now closing for the day, and there are far fewer people around. Casey Stoner runs past and darts in to the Ducati team unit. Valentino Rossi’s best mate and personal assistant, Uccio, is leaning on a paddock scooter outside the Fiat Yamaha unit whilst chatting to a very pretty female Kawasaki team member. The Italian seems to be trying out his best set of Latin flirtation skills but the girl seems pre-occupied with the mechanics chatting outside the next unit.

 

As we enter the Tech 3 unit and close the door, I feel a real sense of escapism and sink into a chair. The atmosphere of the unit is relaxing and it is pleasantly furnished. The sounds of the paddock fade away behind the closed door and I wonder just how often the riders and their team relish the chance to hide away in their team unit for a while during a race weekend. Sylvain Guintoli appears with Herve Poncheral, both deep in Gallic conversation. The Tech 3 boss checks his watch, remembers the press conference and with a sudden sense of realisation that James is in a starring role at his home GP, he swiftly mounts his scooter and heads for the media centre.

 

I gratefully accept the offer of refreshment and take a bottle of French mineral water while admiring a fruit basket and selection which basically puts my local supermarket to shame. The RBP team also grab a quick drink but immerse themselves in totalling up the money raised during James’s earlier cycle ride. It is impressive as the total is over £5000. Not bad for two laps. Members of the Tech 3 team returning to the unit seem impressed. There is a gentle banter between the RBP girls and the Tech 3 mechanics and is obvious that both parties have genuine respect and affection for each other. It has often been documented that JT performs best when he has a family like atmosphere to his team. I sense that this atmosphere is just what the rookie needs in his debut year.

 

The hospitality door opens and a familiar female face walks in. The lady in question is often seen at race meetings selling original paintings and photographs of the riders. Under her arm is a bundle of photos of James aboard his Tech 3 liveried M1. She is ushered upstairs and lays out her wares obviously awaiting James to return and autograph them.  I am pretty confident that her other rider gear is signed by “chasing down” the riders in the paddock or at public sessions so this signing session is different as it is obviously pre-arranged. Once again, JT and his team are giving something back to the racing public.

 

The door opens again, and this time it is Roger Burnett accompanied by his young charge. Toseland settles in the chair opposite me and begins to tease one of the RBP team. This is the real James not the media personality. His love of humour delivered with a dose of sarcasm is evident. He looks relaxed if maybe just a little tired. The RBP team inform him that there a number of photos to be signed for the lady waiting and then the video diary to complete before he rounds out his day as the top billing at the Riders for Health auction. They begin to explain to him that I have won the “MCN Superfan” competition but James interrupts “Yeah we’ve met before. How you doing duck?”  I smile at his ever present local dialect. You can take the lad out of Sheffield but …

 

While the photos are signed, I ready myself with the camera. James bounds over, and settles himself on to the sofa in the hospitality unit. I glance at my questions, press record and ... nothing. The camera screen flashes with some error message and I apologise to James as I wander across to the RBP team for some technical assistance. The memory card is full and a new card is all that is needed. I retake my position opposite James who is busying texting on his mobile phone. I wonder if he is just a little bored now with the interviews and probably thinking about his dinner, or what he might watch on TV later but as soon as the camera rolls again he looks up brightly and once again stares intently into the lens.

 

The questions are answered thoughtfully in his usual engaging approach. I ask him about the day generally and how it feels to be at the Day of Champions as a proper MotoGP rider. It is obvious that he has pride in what he has achieved and is proud to be in this paddock representing his country. We talk about his uniqueness as a musician in the paddock, about the fans and the pressures of the PR circus in MotoGP, and then we move on to the forthcoming home race.  So far, he has answered thoughtfully with the odd glint of determination when mentioning his results to date but mostly he has been polite and charming with an addictive sense of fun in his answers. But when I ask him if he would risk lifting up another rider on the final corner so he could win the race, his expression quickly changes. For a moment I see the ultra-focussed face of the man who stares intently from his grid position down the home straight every Sunday. “I will risk anything. I will do everything in my power to win my home race here at Donington Park” he replies. The determination evident in his expression is unbelievable.  I think to his autobiography and the setbacks he has endured. Those personal mountains he has climbed have instilled something in Toseland that you only see in the champions of sport. In this fleeting moment I realise that as determined as I might be in my own career, I am never going to scale the absolute heights because I simply do not have that drive or level of determination.

 

We finish up and somewhat guiltily since I know the schedule James has followed today, I ask him if he could sign a couple of items for me and maybe pose for yet another photograph.  Without hesitation he takes my pen and duly signs the items taking great care not to smudge the signature on a Yamaha seat cowl.  And then he is back in to corporate mode as one of his sponsors has arrived and would like to speak with him and Roger. The wheels keep turning.

 

I thank the RBP team for their help in organising the opportunity and saunter back through an almost deserted paddock towards the stage to see the last of the charity auction. As I approach the infield, the sun is lowering in the distance as Valentino Rossi takes to the stage. Midway through his slot, Rossi leaps down to the front row of the public and starts to sign autographs. I am amazed since I have never seen Rossi do this before at the Day of Champions auction. It is more like something I would expect James to do, and then I wonder if maybe Valentino has noticed the number of JT flags around and noted the home rider’s popularity. And cynically I wonder how long it will be before James might beat Valentino on track as well as off track … ;-)

 

 

  

With many thanks to Bennetts, MCN and RBP.

Part 3 - Rock n Roll

As the red-faced group of cyclists dispersed from the Bennetts charity ride stand, I noticed an ever growing pile of Toseland related merchandise and bike memorabilia on the table under the gazebo. The Bennetts team meticulously gathered up the large pile of Toseland items with a firm promise to obtain James’s autograph on the items before returning them via mail to their owner. There were t-shirts, photos, magazine articles and even a motorcycle helmet. The only time I have seen a similar pile of items is deep inside the office of the Official Valentino Rossi fan club in Tavullia. Rossi is the only rider I know who takes items via his fan club, signs them and returns them eventually sometime in that laid back Italian style. I was impressed as I made the comparison between James, Valentino and their fans. The Sheffield lad is definitely growing his MotoGP profile.

A few riders hung around with their family and friends, gratefully sipping the complimentary bottle of water. One rider though was conspicuous by his absence. Number 52 was not amongst the returning cyclists. With a neat sliding stop, Roger Burnett arrived on his paddock scooter at the Bennetts stand to explain that James had been diverted straight from the circuit to a round of TV interviews. The Tech 3 rider had then grabbed a few precious minutes to take lunch with his team in their paddock hospitality unit. I was amused to receive confirmation that MotoGP riders really do eat lunch! The constant drive for fitness and a streamlined figure to maximise their power to weight profile onboard their bike has often made me wonder whether these guys starve themselves. No one doubts Toseland’s legendary fitness but to drop several kilos and change your innate body shape takes some dedication. Nicky Hayden is half the lad he was in AMA, Toseland is no longer a race horse but a greyhound and even Rossi looks as though he is desperate for a decent serving of pasta. It is easy being a MotoGP star though, remember?

With the paddock already open to the public for a couple of hours, it was inevitable that the stars of the show would find their movement slowed around their garage, motor home and team units. In a moment of Rossi-like adoration, JT found his way blocked through the paddock as he attempted to return to the infield to continue his commitments. With a scene dangerously reminiscent of 1960s rock star mania, the sheer number of fans wanting to get near the British rider begins to slowly gridlock the paddock area. Finally the security marshals, probably practising for similarly effective car park management on race day, decided to close the paddock entrance in order to avoid a “health and safety” incident.

Unflustered with their man trapped within the paddock, the RBP team quickly re-scheduled the next few hours of the day with remarkable adaptability. My interview was shuffled to the ten minutes before the final Crash set of the day on the main Riders stage. “Does this happen often?” I casually enquired. “Sometimes. It is more likely since we moved to MotoGP” came the smiling reply. I thought about my own work diary and how just one or two changes to client meetings can seriously jeopardise my delivery commitments on more hectic days. Imagine how it would affect your focus on a race weekend day. Suddenly the Fiat Yamaha team enforcement style control of booking time with Valentino Rossi for an interview during a race weekend was beginning to make perfect sense. And then I identify another comparison with Valentino. You put the multiple world champion in front of the camera or a journalist, and his smiling enthusiastic demeanour is guaranteed. You take James, and again an engaging meaningful conversation is delivered. The Sheffield lad could go far.

A couple of the official Riders photographers encourage me to adopt their prime position in front of stage to grab a couple of pictures. Somewhat embarrassed by my fixed focus 4 mega-pixel digital camera in a sea of high-end digital SLRs, I gently ease in front of the band and grab a couple of pictures. And then it is time to go backstage again, take up a comfy position on the famed Riders sofa in their VIP area and await James. Actor and bike nut, Alan Davies is already on the sofa being interviewed. I sit opposite him and grab a complimentary mineral water. Bikes, music and VIPs. And I was feeling sorry for those semi-starved fitness junkies earlier. It is easy being a MotoGP star, remember?

Part 2 - Pedal to the metal

A brace of guitar chords punctuated the air as I walked through the tunnel towards the infield on the Day of Champions at Donington Park. I checked my watch and saw that it was only ten minutes or so since the gates had swung open to let the general public in to the track. More distant guitar chords punctuated the air along with a rhythmic drum beat. Again that sounds familiar. Now I am needled. As somewhat of a music fan I love to annoyingly “name that tune” in a bar or two before any of my mates can claim a tune but I was struggling today. Damn, now that voice that sounds really familiar. Getting more irritated I strained to hear the distant noise, and then I smiled as I recognised the now familiar tones of Paul Grant-Reason, singer and lead guitarist in Crash. Yes, Crash the band that James Toseland plays in. I glanced down at the programme of events for the day in my right hand, and sure enough Crash were on the main stage kicking off their first set. Quarter past ten, now that is keen. Another quick glance at the programme and I note that the boys are on stage again toward midday, and then a final set prior to the now legendary riders auction in the afternoon. “Well, James is going to be a busy boy today”, I thought as I headed over to the stage area to listen to the remainder of the first set.

I suppose it was to be expected. A home rider on an almost factory bike. A home rider exceeding all expectations in his rookie year. A home rider with real chance of a podium. That is the problem with many sports in the UK. We started them and we dominated them in the 1950s, and then suddenly the very people and nationalities we gave the sports to, began to challenge our superiority. They began to beat us and beat us soundly. The clock ticks on and the smell of British success lies largely hidden in the faded newspapers of the day. Only the occasional waft of a return to such heady times is found. The odd "against all odds" victory from a British unknown who usually disappeared back in to obscurity as quickly as they had appeared. The prospect of James Toseland riding to success at Donington Park was enough to make UK race fans salivate. But with the hope he carried, perhaps also a set of greater PR demands. Still it’s easy being a MotoGP star, remember?

With a small but enthusiastic crowd gathered, it seemed logical for Riders for Health to grab a quick interview with James on stage after the set finished. The questions were typical: “how do you think the M1 will be around this track?”; “what’s it like to back racing at home on a track you know”. With his trademark smile, JT gave intelligent answers and gently pushed the patriotic home theme among the ever growing crowd. The mere mention of a possible podium at his home track predictably sent a ripple of cheers across the viewing public. The interviewer pleaded with people to understand that James would be very busy today and maybe some autograph hunters would be disappointed. No one seemed to care; there was a British hero on the stage with a very real chance of success. A few of the new Tech 3 inspired Toseland 52 flags waved in the breeze and you sensed the atmosphere was going to build and build.

Checking my short set of instructions which had been sent a couple of days previously from the very pleasant account manager from RBP, I decided I ought to check in with my hosts for the day. As just a one day festival, the Day of Champions requires a quick makeover of the Derbyshire circuit with new signage erected for the event. Puzzled by the relocation of the stage to Redgate from the main infield of the previous help, I stalled for a minute to decipher a route to my destination. With the help of the ever smiling Riders for Health support team, I was soon standing at the Bennetts Charity Ride tent shaking hands with my host from RBP. I listened intently as I was given a brief synopsis of JT’s middle portion of the day. On stage performing second set with Crash. Off stage and change for charity bike ride. Meet fellow charity riders with manager Roger Burnett. Media and press call for charity ride on starting grid. Undertake two laps of track. Leave track. Short meet and greet session with fellow cycle riders. It seemed simple and yet almost chillingly regimented. I would take the opportunity to film the video diary after the ride. Have I got questions to ask? Yes. And probably like with any other modern day media interview, I duly presented my list of questions to ensure that nothing was contentious.

Now, I was beginning to feel a little like a real MotoGP reporter. Like a newshound trying to work in a question about the real reason that Ducati will not let Marco Melandri leave the team before Germany in an interview with Livio Suppo. For one short minute, I almost felt sorry for the reporters of popular journals like MCN and Motorcycle Racer, having to craft an original interview article with a rider without breaking the boundaries of acceptable questioning. Maybe this is the root cause of the demands placed on such riders at Stoner, Rossi and Toseland. The tightly controlled world of the modern media relationship leaves the adoring public wanting more and more. They are given less (how often have you read an “exclusive” interview with Rossi only to scrape across ground visited many times before in books and magazines?) and so the desire increases. When Valentino crosses a MotoGP paddock he is mobbed. And remember these are the paddocks that are highly restricted with only a privileged few gaining access. So Valentino never crosses an infield at a race circuit for an autograph session because with the general public it is simply logistically impossible to control. James Toseland on the other hand is often seen on BSB infields with a marker pen, but for how much longer? Still, it’s easy being a MotoGP star..

Mentally chastising myself for my ineptitude at equipping my rucksack with any water or drinks (oddly enough I was more concerned about double wrapping the Tech 3 R6 replica seat cowl I was carrying in there), I settled back against the fence and lazily watched the now splintered pack make its way around the racetrack. Another thirty minutes or so and I should be quizzing the double WSBK champ. Easing his way past Redgate, Toseland gently bought his cycle to another stop. No doubt to point out the importance of the right exit line for an assault down through Hollywood in to Craner Curves to his fellow cyclists. It was definitely one trick pedal cycle. Pedal to the metal then JT..

Part 1 - It's easy being a MotoGP star

It's gotta be easy being a MotoGP star, right? I'm sure it must be like being a rock star as per the somewhat irritatingly addictive Nickelback song, hanging out with the blonde playboy girls and getting into restaurants for free? Well, it might have been twenty or thirty years ago when pure racing talent was enough to give you legend status in motorsport circles. Your adoring fans drooled at your speed through Craner Curves and if you told them to "p**s off" in the paddock after totalling your bike on the 2nd lap of your race with a novice accident on cold tyres, well they just loved you even more.

Times have changed and no more so than in the highly polished PR world of MotoGP. We expect our riders to still be heroes on the asphalt but we expect a signature, photograph or a short conversation whenever we see them, be it at a race weekend or simply when they are down their local gym or out buying milk for their fridge. A cheery wave and a few words for a fan while waiting for your connecting flight at some far flung airport can elevate your status amongst your public above your fellow riders who might be beating you in the championship race.  PR is big business and critical to a rider's future. You need a fanbase to get sponsors, and you need sponsors to race and exercise your talent on the track. Arguably few rider/manager combos are more media savvy than the established Toseland/Burnett pairing. Ex-GP rider Roger Burnett has enough experience and business acumen to understand that James Toseland the rider is a saleable commodity. Undoubtedly James has the raw talent that makes him one of the world's most talented motorcycle racers, and also the determination to succeed on track. But Roger is lucky because James always makes himself extremely accessible to his ever growing legion of fans. Even so, the slick PR world of Dorna and the global nature of MotoGP has elevated Toseland probably beyond where he might have expected to be, and such the demands on his time for PR and media work are ever growing. This popularity is a double edged sword and brings with it the logistical nightmare of managing a PR schedule that probably rivals a rock star. You only had to attend the Day of Champions motorcycling fundraiser event at the recent British Motorcycle GP to witness the Toseland phenomenen.

Riders for Health does some amazing work providing motorcycle transport to the most remote regions of Africa. This transport can take qualified medical personnel to some sick people so Riders really does save lives (www.riders.org). MotoGP has been synomous with Riders for some years through the work of Barry and Andrea Coleman, and GP legend Randy Mamola. Through fundraising activities like the Day of Champions, Riders raises funds to support its programmes of work.

Part 2 to follow.