Hi all

 

After recovering from the Scott Trial it’s been all go, I’ve really got into cycling this year and my trainer Julian and I have done a couple of races, I definitely got better as the year progressed but I’m not quite Olympic standard just yet……………2012…..who knows!

 

What have I been doing? Well I’m currently in Australia doing my thing, I’m having a couple of weeks chilling out and then after Xmas and New Year I’ll be training hard for a couple of months in Oz with Casey and Brooksey, similar to what I did last winter. The weather is perfect and I’m looking forward to spending some time here until I’m told when to come back for my testing dates.

 

After some discussion I resigned with GSE, only for 2009 I’ll be on a Yamaha! It’s a new challenge and something I’m really looking forward to but I know it will be a big challenge, I also know if anyone can help me along the way it will be Colin and the Airwaves team. I’ve had a great year and really enjoyed riding for them and also riding the Ducati.

 

The season got off to a bit of steady start as I was still getting over the shoulder injury that I sustained during testing in Spain. Things dropped into place mid season and at Snetterton I had a fantastic battle with my team-mate Shakey, I managed to get the better of him in race one and took my first BSB win, an amazing feeling! I followed that up with two more wins at Croft and Silverstone. Shakey is one of the best team-mates that I’ve ever ridden with and it was a pleasure this year, we had such a laugh with each other and I learnt a lot from him. Him and Petra just had a little boy, Zack, I’m sure another Champion in the making! He’s sponsoring me for next year (Shakey not Zack!), but only if I win the Championship, no pressure or anything Shakes!

 

I have a new team mate for 09, James Ellison, we were asked to go the NEC show to do our bit for Yamaha and a few other sponsors. I’ve never really spoken much to James but we seemed to get on pretty well so next year should be a good one too. We were invited to Troy Corser and Glen Richards’ party at the Sports Café in Birmingham, which was a good do! The week after GSE had a table at the CJ Dinner, once again I won another award, the Determination Award. The CJ Fund has once again been a massive help to me this year, especially with the Physios at each race so thanks again to them.

 

Before we hit 2009 I would like to thank everyone that’s helped me this year, through the good and bad times. At least this season I managed to finish it in one piece, things can only get better next year and I can’t wait!

 

I would like to thank all the people at Ducati who helped me, special thanks must go to Colin, Darrell and Frankie (my chief mechanic) for doing such a fantastic job! Plus I’d like to thank my sponsors, Jewson’s, Airwaves, NetVisibility, Fox, Califonia Superbike School, Grid Law, Spidi, XPD, Pirelli and Shark. All have been fantastic sponsors and I hope to step on the top step a couple more times in 2009.

 

Thanks once again to my loyal fans and hope to see you next year. I hope you all have fantastic Xmas and that 2009 is a good one for us all.

Thanks again and see you at the races next year!

 

Shafter #2