He won the Australian Superbike Championship in 1993 aboard an RC30 Honda before heading to America to wrap up the AMA Championship at his first attempt. Then in 1995 Troy went to World Superbike where in his debut year he finished runner up, before becoming the first Australian to win the World Superbike Championship in 1996, the first Australian to do so.

Just when things looked as though they could not get any better for Corser, problems with the Yamaha GP squad he joined for the 1997 season made the year a wasted effort. He returned to World Superbike in 1998 to take third place overall. A feat he then repeated in 1999, again with Ducati, before moving to Aprilia for another third place in 2000.

Troy stayed with Aprilia in 2001 and this time finished fourth overall but Aprilia chose not to renew his contract for 2002. Thus last year was spent mainly away from the racetrack.

This year the 31 year old from Wollongong (NSW) makes a return to World Superbike competition with the new Foggy Petronas Racing Team. This is a somewhat strange twist of fate as Corser now works for his previous archrival, multiple champion Carl Fogarty.

Malaysian petroleum giant, Petronas, backs the team. The 899cc three-cylinder machine is in a constant state of development as the team overcome the challenges faced with turning a completely new machine in to a competitive race mount.

Corser, along with his British team-mate James Haydon were busy testing at Phillip Island last week where we caught up with him for a quick chat.

The first question was whether he thought the FP1 was going to prove competitive this year.

“Of course the beginning of the season is going to be a little of the unknown but we are hopeful of doing well. We are aiming for podium finishes by at least the middle of the season and hopefully a visit to the top step of the podium before the season is out.

“The machine handles fantastic, now we ware concentrating on getting the best out of the engine. We really need another 10 or 15 horsepower to get us to the level the other guys are at.”

We asked Troy a few general questions about what he bas been up to lately and went over some general interest topics.

Trev: Where have you been spending most of your time lately Troy, in Monaco, the UK or in Australia?

Troy: I still live in Monaco most of the year, just back to Australia for Christmas. I also spend some time in the UK with my fiancée.

Trev: Have you been playing with the Lamborghini or any four wheel toys lately?

Troy: Haven’t done any more car races lately no, but have played around in some go-kart races in Monaco.

Trev: What is the perfect way for Troy Corser to chill out and relax?

Troy: Sitting on my boat off Monaco.

Trev: Do you still ride MX much? What on?

Troy: A little, not as much as perhaps I want to. But the risk of injury is pretty high. Fitness wise I do more jet skiing than MX these days. I have a variety of dirt bikes, a 125, 250, 400 and 620. I have a few jet skis also, both stand ups and sit-downs.

Trev: What other racer do you most like spending time with?

Troy: Kirk McCarthy is a good mate, we have known each other a long time and I enjoy spending time with him.

Trev: Best rider in the world at the minute?

Troy: Alex Barros. He came straight off the Honda and on to the Yamaha, and at his first test he went quicker then everyone else. Also quicker than he had been there on the Honda and he just seems to be really happy with the way everything is going.

Trev: Best rider ever?

Troy: Probably Mick Doohan

Trev: What was your most enjoyable ride away from the racetrack?

Troy: Probably last year when I went for a ride with ‘The Fourth Reich’ which is a group of Harley riders from Wollongong. We just went on a social cruise and stopped at a few pubs on the way, it was good fun and quite relaxing.

Trev: You a dog or cat person?

Troy: Definitely dog. We have a Rottweiler and a Jack Russell.

Trev: The best part of being a professional motorcycle racer?

Troy: Being able to do someothing that you enjoy, and love, and the bonus is getting paid for it

Trev: The downside?

Troy: Travel. Sometimes you just seem to see the insides of aeroplanes and hotels.

Trev: Best of luck for this year Troy.

Troy: No worries, and I will catch up with mcnews.com.au again during the season.

Click to Enlarge - Will download in a new window

However, with a rider like Corser onboard, and a driven man like Carl Fogarty running the team, they cannot be discounted from upsetting the apple cart once or twice in World Superbike this season. I for one will be hoping they manage to do just that.

• Jan 17 - News - Fogarty pleased with progress made at Australian Test

• Jan 16 - Pictorial - 15 Images of Corser and Haydon in action at Phillip Island