Motorbike Champ Shows Another Way to Tune Up

HE MAY be the reigning World Superbike champion, but James Toseland is also carving out a reputation as a musician.

The 27-year-old showed off his talents at the keyboard yesterday to specially-invited audiences at two care homes in Yorkshire.

Mr Toseland, who was born in Sheffield, was at the Oaklands Care Home in Kirk Hammerton between York and Harrogate yesterday afternoon before he headed over for an evening performance at Troutbeck Nursing Home in Ilkley.

While he plays regularly with his band, Crash, which performs covers by rock bands including Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC, Mr Toseland opted for a slightly more sedate set yesterday when he played classical compositions and ballads by artists including Elton John.

His appearances marked something of a return to his roots, and Mr Toseland, who was taught to play by his grandmother, Pam Billam, when he was seven, said: “I remember that I played at a care home near Sheffield where my great grandmother was a resident when I was about eight or nine.

“I remember how nervous I was then, and the nerves were here again yesterday. But it was great to do something like this, and the elderly people loved the performances. Music is very much my first love, and motorcycles were introduced into my life after I had learnt the piano. It has always been a part of my life, and I would love to think that I could do something more with music when I retire from racing.”

Mr Toseland received rapturous applause following a live television performance on the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and the number of phone votes he received increased rapidly afterwards propelling him into fourth place – closely behind boxer Ricky Hatton. He was, however, named the BBC Yorkshire Sports Personality of the Year for 2007, and has since appeared on Question of Sport and Sport Relief.

Mr Toseland is due to fly out to the Isle of Man today with his band to perform at the TT races on the island, before he returns for the British Superbike Championship at Donnington on Monday.

He is Britain’s only MotoGP contender in the 2008 series and became the youngest ever World Superbike champion aged 23. He claimed the title again in 2007 before making the step into motorcycle racing’s premier class.

The two homes where Mr Toseland performed yesterday are part of the Maria Mallaband Care Group, one of his racing sponsors.

(c) 2008 Yorkshire Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.