When reigning world superbike champion James Toseland took his Tech3 YZR-M1 Yamaha to sixth position at the 2008 Grand Prix of Qatar in his MotoGP debut, he broke a painful record for British race fans. The 2007 championship was the first in the history of MotoGP where a British rider failed to score a point in the premier class. With his brilliant front row qualifying position and top six finish under the Losail lights, Toseland produced the best performance by a debutant Brit since the British GP in 1992 and marked the highest MotoGP result by a UK rider since 2003.

That the dedicated 27 year old managed such an impressive first MotoGP appearance is no surprise to his followers, and also certainly the members of the Tech3 Yamaha team that offered him his opportunity at the highest level with the M1 and were also pleased with his application and speed in pre-season tests. His positive start to the season reinforced the wisdom of his signature and he recently contracted himself to the team and Yamaha until the end of 2009.

The rest of 2008 saw James learning the circuits he had not previously visited but he was able to shine at those he knew from his World Superbike tenure. He fought with Valentino Rossi at Phillip Island for another sixth place and was the same ranking at Misano. Overall his eleventh position in the final standings was a creditable finish for a MotoGP rookie.

Toseland caught the eye of the racing establishment at a young age and as a teenager was found to show fantastic pace on production machinery and also within the realms of Supersport. His performances and wins on UK soil saw him swiftly elevated into international competition and before he climbed aboard a superbike in 2000 he almost broke into the top ten of the fiercely competitive world supersport series. 

He continued his apprenticeship through British and then World superbike participation and was able to learn outside of the spotlight that fell on other riders like Carl Fogarty, Niall Mackenzie and Neil Hodgson. By 2002 however he was showing that he was a rider to be reckoned with and only two years later his first world championship was won. He regained the title in 2007, with a different manufacturer, and then decided that the timing was right to enter MotoGP.

James recently bought a house in the south of France although he has strong roots and family in Doncaster. His piano-playing skills are well-noted and he forms part of a music band that perform covers of classic rock tracks at selected gigs.