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You’re one point behind leader Troy Bayliss in the World Super- bike Championship going into next Sunday’s third round in Spain. Can you beat him? For sure. I beat him in the first race of the season and I can win at Valencia. Troy is good around the Spanish circuit, but he’s also beatable.

You crashed heavily in tests at Valencia recently. Will this affect your performance on Sunday?

I’d just put a new race tyre on my Honda Fireblade and felt confident that I could do a good time. But I got on the throttle a bit too early coming out of a hairpin. I wasn’t going fast, but I was thrown high up into the air and landed on my head. I had concussion, but I’ve recovered and I’ll be at 100 per cent this weekend.

Bayliss is 36, Australian and riding a factory Ducati’ you’re 25, a Yorkshireman and you’re on a private Honda run by the Winston Ten Kate team in the Netherlands. Who’s best off? People are saying the Ducatis are down on power this year, but Bayliss’s top speed is the same as mine. My four-cylinder engine is a bit stronger on acceleration than his twin, but there are some circuits where the Ducati will be better overall, and others where the Honda will have an advantage. For the rest, coming from Yorkshire is always the best!

You won the World Superbike title in 2004. What will you have to do to get it back? I’m giving this season everything I’ve got - physically and mentally. We’ve started the series off well and we’re not playing catch-up. As long as we continue running at the front of the field, we’ve got a good chance of the title this year.

Your bike does 200mph. Sounds terrifying - is it? Only if you’re not attached to it! Riding 200mph isn’t terrifying to me - it’s what I do. When I’m on the bike, I’m 99 per cent in control, so I wouldn’t say it’s terrifying. Well, maybe just for one per cent of the time..

Describe the feeling of cornering at 60 degrees of lean with your knee scraping the ground.

I’ve never really thought about it. It’s my subconscious that takes the corners, like autopilot. Cornering is just normal to motorcyclists. It comes naturally - I can’t explain it.

How do bike racers walk away from such horrendous crashes?

Motorcycle clothing is brilliant these days. Safety at the circuits is also starting to improve. The track barriers are much further away from the actual tarmac, which means that there is less chance of crashing into them.

Have you ever deliberately banged into someone in a race?

Never deliberately. Motorcycle racing is far too dangerous to be playing those kinds of games. I have “touched” other riders during a race, but it wouldn’t have been intentional. Racing nowadays is so close - you only have to look at the times to see that.

You’ve broken a thigh and lost a world title. Which was most painful? Breaking my femur in three places was definitely the most painful on a physical level. However, mentally, losing the championship was tough. I feel so lucky to have another shot at the title this year with Winston Ten Kate Honda. I wouldn’t want to break my femur again, though!

What’s your ambition in bike racing? My short-term goal is to win the world championship again. Then I’d like to get into MotoGP. My ultimate goal is to establish myself as one of the best British riders ever.

Britain hasn’t had a MotoGP world champion since the late Barry Sheene in 1977. What are we getting wrong? I don’t think it’s due to a lack of hunger. A big thing about racing in the UK is the number of foreign riders here. The Spanish rider Gregorio Lavilla and the Japanese Ryuichi Kiyonari are at the top of the British Superbike Championship, so our young riders have to beat not just the best British riders, but the best in the world before they’ve even left this country.

You ride a superbike and Valentino Rossi rides a MotoGP bike. What’s the difference between them? A MotoGP has about 30 horsepower more, and weighs 30kg less. My CBR1000RR Fire-blade is a production- based machine. You can go into any Honda dealership and buy a bike similar to mine - save some tweaks and a bit of tuning here and there. MotoGP machines are the ultimate in technology. You can’t buy these bikes - they’re like the two-wheeled equivalent of Formula One cars. A lot of money goes into developing them.

What’s the one thing Rossi does that makes him so good? The guy has natural talent. Rossi’s entire upbringing was in bikes and he had tuition from an early age. Through the 125,250,500cc and MotoGP ranks he’s developed into a real class act. Rossi is one of the all- round greats.

If you were in a race with him on the same bike, where would you finish? In front - for sure! No, I can’t really answer that one. Obviously, I would want to beat him but I’ve got to get into MotoGP and establish myself as a rider first. With the right team and right package, I believe I could be just as successful.

What’s your opinion of Formula One drivers compared to bike racers? I’ve had no involvement in Formula One, so I wouldn’t like to say. I’ve heard all the stories about the drivers being a bit unsociable, but I’ve never been in their world. I do think that motorcycle racers in general are a bit more approachable and fan- friendly, though. I am, anyway!