“It’s been a good few weeks off and so I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into it in Turkey and really getting the summer started.

Istanbul Park is quite a cool track, especially with that fast 5th gear corner. On the 990cc bike that corner was wild, though on these bikes it might not really be a corner any more – it’ll be interesting to see how the 800s feel through there. It’s a really good track and I like the layout because it’s got some serious elevation changes. Turn’s One’s really technical and TV doesn’t really do that corner justice. People at home on the couch don’t really see how blind the entry is and what a drop off there is, so that’s pretty fun.

It’s been a decent track to me in the past and I’m looking forward to racing there again. We’re going to stay positive and keep working hard to get up front. I’ve got a good team behind me and we’re giving it all we’ve got to make the improvements we need to take a step forward.”