For me, racing was my escape from the street. I had reached that point in my adolescence where I knew that if I didn’t get on the track I was going to end up in jail. My first road bike was a GPZ550 and my first race bike was a Ninja 600 – so I have always been a Kawasaki rider I suppose.

I moved into the AMA Superbike Championship in 1988, being named Rookie of the Year, but it was partnering with Rob Muzzy that really put my name on the map. In 1990, my first year with Rob, I won the 750cc Supersport Championship which we repeated in 1991 and 1992. ‘92 also saw us win the AMA Superbike series which was an incredible feeling.

Having felt like we’d done everything we set out to do in America, we made the decision to go and compete on the World stage for 1993. Arriving at the first round of the World Superbike Championship was certainly an eye opener, and I think everyone will remember that year for the battles I had with Carl Fogarty. We had a real rivalry which was amplified by the media who really hyped it up. It was massive for the series and fans but the biggest incentive for me was to beat him in his own backyard, which I managed to do by taking both wins at Donington!

Taking the title in 1993, my debut season, meant it really was an amazing year and everything just seemed to go right for us, and the rivalry with Carl only added to the excitement. I did see him a few years ago at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and we spoke for a bit about it. He seemed to finally be enjoying life to the full.