Dan Lo: How's it going Chaz? Just wanted to catch up with you on how the 2009 season is going so far.

Chaz Davies: It's going very well thanks. So far the 09 season is shaping up well and all starting to come together. Every race we've made huge progression and we're now at the point where I can challenge for race wins.

DL: How do you like racing for Aprilia this year? Does the RSV 1000 R suit your height better than the 600's?

CD: I'm really enjoying riding the twin. The Aprilia Mille is definitely a lot different to any bike I have ever ridden in terms of both chassis and power delivery so it took a little while to get used to but now I feel like I am getting comfortable with the bike. The size actually isn't much different to a 600. It's quite a compact chassis although it looks big because the fairing is fairly large.

DL: There's been steady progress made on the bike with 2 consecutive Superpoles. Would you say a podium finish is within reach any weekend now?

CD: Definitely. At Barber I was consistently fast right from the get go and really thought I could win a race or at least come out of the weekend with a podium. Race one was looking good, I was in 3rd feeling good but unfortunately I hit some dirt on the track which put me on my rear and from there I had to limp it home. We were also close in the damp race on Sunday but eventually missed 3rd by 0.027.

DL: What do you like best about the new rules this year?

CD: I think that the whole class structure and the other changes have actually turned out pretty good. The variety of manufacturers is great to see and the racing has been good so something is working.

DL: What do you dislike?

CD: I can't say there is anything I dislike too much. As a rider you pretty much have to take the rules as they are and do what you can in any scenario that's thrown at you. My only concern is safety which I think I can be vocal about. I don't think the AMA/DMG do enough about safety and getting the tracks up to scratch. There are lots of simple things that just don't get done, like using the non-slip white line paint. Kerbs in corners where there are none. That caused me to crash at Barber, through no fault of my own. It's frustrating because things like that seem so easy to fix and I don't understand what the hold up is. I haven't heard anything about the proper rider safety council that was supposed to be set up either.

DL: Any thoughts on the rolling starts?

CD: The rolling starts seemed a bit weird to begin with but actually now I think they're OK. I don't really have any problem with them.

DL: I understand the team will start developing the RSV4 later in the season. Will you be involved with that?

CD: Yes. The plan is to get our hands on the new RSV4 towards the end of the year. From what i've seen and heard the bike is supposed to be incredible. It was built with the intention of winning World SBK races and for such a brand new setup it isn't far away. It would be cool to be able to ride it. We'll see how the rest of this plays out first and when the time comes we'll talk about next year.

DL: Let's step away from the racing for a bit. What have you been up to in between race weekends this season?

CD: This year has been much better for me than previous years. The last couple of years I have kind of been a bit of a gypsy moving from hotel to hotel and living from the suitcase but this year I'm living with Josh Hayes in Southern California. If i get a break of more than a couple of weeks I'll go home [to Wales] but if the races are close together then I'll just come back to Josh's. We ride bicycles a lot, motocross a few times a week and play Rock Band for the rest of the time! It's good fun and I think it really helps being settled so my training isn't so sporadic and I don't get burnt out with all the travel. Motocross out here is hard for me because there it's so much to do with jumping doubles, triples and the rest of it. We have a track at home and it's old school, built into the hill side, natural jumps. Josh and I are pretty competitive and usually I school him on the bicycles and he schools me at the MX track. But it's all good fun. I have been home once this year so far which is always nice. We have the luxury of a kart/supermoto track, MX track and some great cycling roads so it's always fun to go home. We're just missing the weather!

DL: Last question to wrap things up. Do you plan on staying in AMA long term? Any plans to move back to GP racing?

CD: I would love to have a crack at the new Moto2 class. From what I have seen the rules look like the racing is going to be really equal which is something that the 250 class hasn't been for a long time with the different tiers of bikes. The only problem with the new Moto2 class for me is that the bikes look like they are still going to suit the smaller riders more. World Superbike would also be a great class to be racing in at the minute. I want to start riding superbikes as soon as i can because i think they'll suit me quite well but saying that I wouldn't leave the AMA just to go race somewhere else for the sake of it. It's all about having a competitive package and without winning much in the AMA it's hard to pick up good rides in Europe so i think i'll probably be here for a while yet, step it up and prove my worth and then hopefully get to Superbike and be competitive.

DL: Thanks Chaz! Any closing words for your fans out there?

CD: Yeah, fan support is always appreciated and hopefully you should be seeing us on the podium any time soon.