How does it feel to be starting on the 450 this season?
Obviously I’ve been thinking about it in the off-season, that it was finally time for me to move up into the 450cc class, and it does feel great. It is a dream to be in that class and be competitive, so now it is time to race and see where I am. You know, it has been many years that I have been racing 250s, and [I’ve had] many injuries. It has been rough, but I finally got to win a championship in the 250cc class, and now it is a good time to move up. It’s a big challenge. It is going to be a lot of new things for me–a new bike, new competitors and everything–so I am very excited about it.