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Raise Your Game: Can you tell me about your proudest moment?

Chaz Davies: I had two strong finishes to end the season last year. In Australia I came 6th and in the final race I didn't expect to repeat that performance but I came 5th. It was a great surprise!

RYG: And are there any low points?

CD: I'm on a customer bike. Some competitors have factory bikes which are better. It's hard for British riders to get them because there's not enough money in this country as it's not recognised as a main sport. In Spain and Italy it's a top sport, second only to football. It doesn't make it easy to get enough money for factory bikes but you've just got to keep plugging at it year after year.

RYG: What drives (excuse the pun!) you on?

CD: I try to beat the guys on the factory bikes - that's enough to get me fired up. As soon as you do well, you get acknowledgement from others. I'm doing it for myself and my family. They've spent a lot of their own money to get me where I am. My dad used to race years ago. He got me into it and taught me what he knew. I make my own decisions now and dig myself out of any problems.

The last years have been hard, not being on the right bike. I'll give it one more go this year. I want to be a top privateer. I want to be the best on a customer (non-factory) bike which hopefully will help me get on a factory bike by the end of the year.

RYG: What made you choose to stay in the Grand Prix rather than go to the British Superbikes?

CD: If you ride a motorbike, the Grand Prix is where you want to be. It's the top of the tree.

RYG: Is there much camaraderie involved in the sport?

CD: My team mate for Aprillia Germany is Martin Cardenas from Columbia. We're a two man team. We're out to beat each other but team mates can help each other by talking about any problems and suggesting cures.

RYG: How do you keep fit?

CD: I haven't done much running because I've had too many crashes and hurt my ankles. I do lots of mountain biking though. I've been told to do as much as possible, up in the hills near my house and on the roads. I go four or five times per week and ride 25 miles each time.

I have a heart rate monitor. You can set heart rate zones on it. You ideally want to train in zones to reach your peak, so for example, between 150-160 beats per minute. You can put the results through a computer and it shows you what altitudes you were riding at, your speed, average heart rate and distance.

It gives me more motivation to go out the next day because I know what I've done already, so I try to do the same again, but without burning myself out. I try to take a different route each time for variety.

RYG: Have you had many injuries?

CD: I've broken my foot and cracked my heel. But, touch wood, they haven't been too bad. I had a big crash in Portugal. My hands were black and blue and my fingers were swollen. I had to have pins put through the nail to drain the blood and release the pressure!

RYG: Hasn't that put you off riding again?

CD: I try to get back on the bike. The worst thing you can do is not know what happened - you've got to learn from your mistakes. In Portugal I hit a curb on the edge of the track. The paint is like ice when it's wet, so my back end stepped out.

It's inevitable that you're going to crash 5-10 times per year. I go through spells. In Japan I crashed twice in one day. It does depend on how it goes on the day.

RYG: How do you prepare for your races?

CD: In mid-April I start racing. I'll start practising in Spain next week. I train four times before the season starts. I'll have three days on the circuit to test the suspension and mechanics of the bike and make any changes where necessary.

You tell the mechanics what the bike is doing and they'll try to make it better. One mechanic looks after the engine, and another the frame. One looks at the computer to see what the suspension is doing. With the suspension, you can make one small adjustment on a dial and it will make a huge difference. One click will cure any problem.

Riding motorcross bikes on dirt and mud is good training. The bikes slide around so it teaches you control, but the fields get so wet that they can be a pain to ride.

RYG: How do you cope with all the travel involved?

CD: It's hard trying to juggle everything. I can be away for eight weeks in a row. I left school after my GCSEs. I passed them all, but it was hard work. I had to catch up and didn't have any breaks. I'm pleased that I've got my GCSEs but now I'll concentrate more on training.