James Toseland is riding high with his new band, having swapped motorbikes for music. Katy Forrester meets the musician ahead of his show in Hull.
He is married to one of the country's biggest pop stars, Katie Melua, and now James Toseland is going in search of his own musical fame.
Is there no end to the Yorkshireman's talents? Not only is he a double World Superbike Champion and talented pianist, but he also has a voice like Axl Rose.
The sporting pin-up, who is heading to Hull this month with his new band, seems to have it all.
But James admits he has battled "dark days" in the past few years after his racing career was cut short due to a wrist injury.
"I couldn't use the throttle on the bike properly and my wrist is now almost fused together," he said.
"It hasn't affected piano playing too much, that would have been a lot tougher, but I had to give up racing because I didn't feel in control of the bike."
James, 32, was forced to retire in 2011 after a testing crash in Aragon, Spain.
It was during his recovery that he took his mother to one of Katie's gigs after buying her a ticket as a gift.
Although the Closest Thing To Crazy singer didn't know who he was, her keyboard player Jim Watson acted as matchmaker after he spotted the racing star in the audience at Sheffield City Hall.
Katie has been a huge support for James as he tried to figure out which path to take after his accident.
They tied the knot in the Nash Conservatory at Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, west London, last year.
"Katie was by my side and, because of how intense it has been, we married quite quickly," he said.
"I knew I had a good one and didn't want to let her go.
"We have just celebrated our two-year anniversary and I'd love to become a dad one day."
But at the moment, the couple are busy with their careers, although James needs no hand up from his wife while trying to make it as a musician.
He stunned the audience of BBC's Sports Personality Of The Year with his piano playing and now thousands of fans have viewed his rock videos on YouTube.
Hull audiences will be able to see James's musical skills for themselves when the former racer, who was born in Doncaster, takes to the stage at Fruit, in Humber Street, on Sunday, June 30.
His five-piece band, simply named Toseland, have announced a ten-date summer tour to debut their first album.
Having formed late last year, they have been working hard writing and recording with Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson.
"He didn't really know who I was when I first approached him," says James.
"He wasn't much of a racing fan but he did some research into my musical background and agreed to work with me.
"Rock music and motorcycles have always gone together and when I played in a cover band, I always loved rock songs."
James fronts the band on vocals and keyboard, with guitar support from Katie's brother Zurab Melua, Dave Hollingworth and Rabea Massad, and Ben Minal on drums.
Toseland will head to Hull before playing at the Isle of Man Festival in July.
The former racer said he is excited to be coming back to Yorkshire, having moved to London to be with Katie.
He said: "This is the first time I will have played in Hull and we've put a lot of work into this band.
"The first single, Life Is Beautiful, is all about not taking life for granted, and I've definitely drawn inspiration from losing something I love.
"The one good thing that has come out of all of this is that I've been able to go back to the music using the same enthusiasm that I used to put into racing."
• James Toseland plays Fruit, Humber Street, Hullm on Sunday, June 30, at 7.30pm. Tickets £10, plus online booking fee, via fruitspace.co.uk/tickets.
