Josh Coppins hopes to put the bad luck of last year behind him in this year's world championship which begins in the Netherlands this weekend.
He was sixth in the glamour 250cc class last year, two places down on his performance in 2000.
"It was a frustrating season," said the New Zealander, who is entering his seventh world championship series.
"Every time I got going, I had another mechanical problem or a slower rider crashed me out. I just couldn't get any traction."
He has been recruited by the powerful Honda team to bolster their ranks and has already shown impressive pre-season form on the new CR250 racebike.
"It's great to ride," he said. "It's very forgiving and it handles all the different conditions we ride in."
The first of 12 rounds is in the deep sand of the Valkenswaard track.
"It's completely different and takes quite a bit of time to adjust to," the 25-year-old Coppins said.
"There are some specialists, guys who do really well in sand, but they tend to slow up in other conditions. I can generally ride them all, and that's important over a championship as tough as this."
Coppins' pre-season riding has been on hard-packed clay in Italy where his Berni team is based, ideal preparation for round two in Spain in three weeks.
Meanwhile, New Zealand 17-year-old Ben Townley is ready for his second year in the 125cc class.
Riding a factory-backed KTM for the Big Five Vangani team, Townley was 33rd in his debut last year.
He has started this year impressively, notching up big results in sand races around Belgium where his team is based.
In changes to this year's race calendar, the championship loses an Australian round, but takes in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Russia, which hosts the final grand prix in September.
The riders will contest other events.
Coppins is just one point off the lead in the Italian allcomers championship and Townley is fourth-equal in the Dutch.
The world championship calendar:
Sunday: Netherlands, Valkenswaard; April 14: Spain, Bellpuig; April 28: Germany, Teutschenthal; May 12: France, St Jean-d'Angly; May 26: Italy, Castiglione del Lago; June 9: Bulgaria, Sevlievo; June 23: Austria, Krntenring; July 7: Sweden, Uddevalla; Aug 4: Belgium, Genk; Aug 18: Germany, Gaildorf; Sept 1: Czech Republic, Loket; Sept 15: Russia, Sorochany (Moscow).
- NZPA
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