Season 2008 - Fogarty: Toseland can win on debut

Eurosport - Sun, 06 Jan 10:26:00 2008



James Toseland can stun the Moto GP world by winning on his debut in Qatar, according to World Superbike legend Carl Fogarty.







Toseland, 27, will ride for the Tech-3 Yamaha team this season after winning his second World Superbike title in 2007 with Ten Kate Honda.
And fellow Briton Fogarty, who is the most successful rider in World Superbike history with four world crowns and 59 wins, sees no reason why he cannot shake up the Grand Prix paddock right from the word go at the Losail circuit in Doha.
"I think he'll be really fired up and I'd love to see him win a race - I really would," Fogarty told Motorcycle News.
"There is no reason why he can't. All he's doing is riding a bike that's a little bit faster and a little bit lighter - that's all. At the circuits he knows like Qatar - where he's already won in Superbikes - he can go out and win the race.
Fogarty knows what he is talking about. He finished sixth as a wildcard in only his second Moto GP race - the 1990 Swedish Grand Prix - at a time when his only international competition had been in endurance events and road races.
He is convinced that Toseland, with two WSBK titles and 16 wins to his name, is in a much better position to take a race victory against the likes of Valentino Rossi and world champion Casey Stoner.

But he insists that the key to success is getting enough testing mileage under his belt before the season starts.
"He needs to get plenty of testing and not get fazed by the big names," Fogarty added. "I'd love to see him win at Donington especially, although that would make me well jealous."
No Briton has won a Moto GP race since the late Barry Sheen triumphed at the Swedish Grand Prix 27 years ago.