Ramsey resident James Toseland has left snowbound Britain for the heat and humidity of Malaysia, where the first official MotoGP test of the season takes place at the Sepang circuit.

The three day test starts on Thursday at the 3.4 mile circuit just outside Kuala Lumpur.

Twenty-eight year old Toseland will be riding the 2009 M1 Tech 3 Yamaha for the first time, as well as using the Bridgestone tyres that all riders will employ for the 18 round World Championship.

The former World Superbike Champion finished 11th in his MotoGP debut season last year, but has unhappy memories of the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang where he crashed early on in the race.