By Barry Russell

For the fourth year in a row, roads racer Gary Johnson, recently signed to H🐻M Plant♌ Honda for 2012, is spending part of the British winter in the warmth of Thailand.

Johnson's idea of a holiday is apparently not one of soaking up the sun. Since finishing fifth in the Macau Grand Prix three weeks ago f⭕or IGT Suzuki by TAS, he has been busy on track at Thai circuits Bira International and Kaeng Krachan, helping local racers with bike set up and lo🎀wering unofficial lap records on other racers' bikes.

He is now looking at the possibility of entering the final two rounds of the Motorcycle Mag Superbik🤪e Ch꧙ampionship on 24-25 December at Bira.

Finding a bike to ride is🏅 not a straightforward business in Thailand, where heavy import duties make bringing in race bikes impossibly expensive. In 2010 he entered and won the last round of the R2M Championship on a borrowed 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R and is currently testing a Suzuki GSX-R750, on loan from Norwegian racer Narve Hoel, who runs a GSX-R1000 at the front of the count🅺ry's second-tier SB2 series.

Johnson faces stiff competition in the form of Panadda Racing's 'Tingnote' T༒ithipong Warakorn, who is a class above the rest of Thailand's domestic superbike racers on a very fast Honda CBR 10👍00RR.

"I would really have liked to be on a full spec superbike, as Tingnote is quick," he explained. "Nobody here is going to lend me𒅌 that kind of bike,🎃 so I'll have to ride the wheels off the 750 to make any kind of impression. Corner speed counts for a lot at Bira, but it does have a couple of straights where I'll be at a big disadvantage.

"Whatever happens it will be better tha♔n sitting around in England stuffing my face with turkey and mince pies!"