With the 2013 Tissot MotoGP in full swing at Phillip Island, Bryan Staring talks about everything from how he feels to be back at home to what he does when he’s not on the track.

Bryan Staring is Australia’s lone full time MotoGP contender in 2013.

So Bryan, welcome home – how does it feel to have your feet on Australian soil once again?

Its fantastic to be home and it’s the race I’ve been looking forward to all year so I’m really happy to finally be here. I couldn’t be happier to have the support from the Aussie crowd.

Where is home for you now in Oz? Is it WA or the Gold Coast?

It’s a tough one to answer but home will always be Perth. At the moment I live in Varese, Italy and will be spending the summer at my home on the Gold Coast. So a bit all over the place this year.

How do Aussie fans compare with those in other countries like Spain or Italy?

It’s difficult to say really. I don’t think anyone is as crazy as the Spanish fans [laughs] and the British seem pretty passionate too but I think that’s because there are so many of them. The Aussies at Phillip Island get pretty excited too so it’s a tough one.

Staring’s best result came at Catalunya in Spain, where he picked up two points.

How friendly are the GP riders? Are you all sitting around having a beer and laugh after a race or is it game face all the time?

Yeah, some of the riders are quite tight and some aren’t. I’m not the social satellite of the paddock but have some great friends from my Aussie Superbike and World Superbike days. I think it is more difficult for the top riders to be friendly.

What does your training regime in between races look like?

A lot of time on a bicycle, a bit of time running and at the moment a lot of time at the gym. The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has a training facility in Varese which is similar to the one in Canberra which I use to train.

What’s your hot tip for riding Phillip Island?

Don’t back off in Turn Three… It’s one of the better corners on the track.