Dan Linfoot returns to the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship this season after recently signing for the Buildbase BMW team alongside Barry Burrell. The British young gun now has his sights set on further progress in the BSB class following a recent spell in the CEV Spanish Moto2 Championship.

Linfoot raced in both championships at the end of last year, scoring podiums in the Spanish Moto2 class and since then he has been to Belgium for an operation to cure the arm pump he suffered in the final stages of the championship. Linfoot though is now looking ahead to the forthcoming season and the chance to race the BMW with the Hawk Racing team.

Over to Dan:

Firstly Happy New Year to everybody and I want to wish you a successful 2012! It's been a busy time for me since the final BSB race of 2011 at Brands Hatch. I had a week cycling in Lanzarote with James Westmoreland as an end of season break. However, it was still training for me because I competed in the final two rounds of the CEV Spanish Championship in the Moto2 category during the middle of November.

The races both went well; we had been continually improving so to score our best finishes in the final races shows the improvements we made. Both races were wet and I managed to finish fourth at Valencia then third in Jerez and it was nice to end the season on the podium. I then went to do some instructing with Michael Laverty and Craig Fitzpatrick on his Pacedayz event at Cartagena which was really good fun!

From the moment I got off the plane after the Spanish races, 2012 was in the forefront of my mind. First I had to decide whether I wanted to race in CEV Moto2 or BSB, and then with what teams I could find a berth in BSB. While discussions were ongoing, I made the trip to Herentals in Belgium to see a specialist in arm pump surgery. I'd been suffering with arm pump on and off for the last three seasons, but could never put my finger on a pattern to it.

The final races I did on the Tyco Honda really brought back the arm pump, so much so that I actually had to retire out of the final race. Therefore it led me to no alternative but to have the compartment syndrome release surgery if I wanted to continue riding in Superbikes.

Returning home mid-December was ideal time for the arms to heal over the Christmas period and I also managed to put together my Buildbase BMW deal the week before Christmas too, so all in all, I had a relaxed break knowing 2012 was all sorted. Now we arrive in 2012 and back into full swing with training and preparations for the coming season.

I am really excited about this year and looking forward to seeing how the technical regulation changes affect the bikes. I have realised that I have flirted with too many championships and now I want to really dig into BSB with a view of becoming a serious title challenger in the next few seasons.

I am hoping that 2012 can be a building season for me, where I can improve to reach my goals and to set me up for future seasons in BSB. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Stuart and Steve Hicken of Buildbase BMW for the opportunity this year and to all my sponsors of the past and present. Here's to an exciting 2012 and hope to see you all at Brands Hatch at Easter.