Profile: Chaz Davies

Image caption, Chaz Davies is one the hottest properties in British motorsport

Chaz Davies's enormous potential was realised in 2011 when he won the World Supersport Championship.

The 24-year-old came of age this year to become the first Welshman to win a world Superbike class title.

He secured the overall championship crown in the 12-match series in the penultimate race of the season with a sixth-placed finish at Magny Cours in France.

"It was a moment that you can't put it into words," said the Presteigne-born rider.

"It was a mix between joy and disbelief as it is something I dreamed of."

Davies won six races in the 2011 Supersport Championship, the competition below the main World Superbikes Championship, at Assen, Monza, Aragon, Silverstone, the Nurburgring and the final race in Portugal.

The Yamaha biker also enjoyed a second and a third-placed finish so was pleased with his "consistency" in his second year for the team.

"Eight podiums out of a possible 12 was good," he said.

"It is quite special to work 15 years for a goal like that and to finally be able to call myself a world champion is something that I never thought, at times, I'd be able to do."

Davies became just the second Briton to win the World Supersport title, since its inception in 1997, following Cal Crutchlow's win in 2009 as Davies beat Spain's David Salom by a huge 50 point margin.

The Welshman has earned himself a promotion to the World Superbikes Championship to compete alongside the likes of Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa next season.

Davies has already tested for Ducati and is now testing with Aprilia ahead of his first season in the top-flight of Superbikes.

"I've basically everything to learn again," admitted Davies.

"But I'm really happy with the way things have gone in my first taste of Superbikes."