Sean Emmett - 2005 Rider Profile

Leading the team for the 2005 season is hard-charging Sean Emmett from Byfleet in Surrey. Sean, who since starting racing on a Yamaha 350 Powervalve in 1989, has competed in the 500 Grand Prix World Championship for four years and the British Superbike Championship since 1997 and, is one of the most experienced and gifted riders in the country.

Sean's motorcycle career started on the streets of London where he worked as a motorcycle courier. After taking part in a race school at Brands Hatch where he lapped everyone, he decided he would try his luck at racing and managed to get enough money together to buy his own bike and start competing. He won his first race and first championship; the KRC Championship along with the Avon Tyres Trophy for the most talented rider, following in the footsteps of previous winners such as Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Barry Sheene.

After racing in Supersport 400 and 600, the dream job came along. Sean was offered a ride on the Yamaha-engineered Harris 500GP bike, running experimental unleaded fuel and untried tyres. Despite riding an uncompetitive bike and with no testing between races Sean managed to finish ninth in his fourth ever Grand Prix. Eventually his hard work was rewarded with a guest ride on the Lucky Strike Suzuki for the injured Kevin Schwantz, "I had a test on the Suzuki at Jerez the day after the race and was two-and-a-half seconds quicker than my fastest lap on the Harris. From that time on I realised I could run with anyone."

Sean's British Superbike career has been full of highs and low's - in his first season in 1997, an accident at the World Superbike round at Donington Park almost cost him his left arm. "I had an eight hour operation to save my arm; it had 17 screws, two plates and a big chain in it. I was told I shouldn't race again, otherwise I could lose the arm. 14 weeks later I won first time out at Oulton in the wet, I just cant explain how amazing that felt" Since that fateful day, Sean has won 12 British Superbike races and stood on the podium countless times, and has not finished outside the Championship's top five since 2000.

Sean, is no new comer to the team; he raced for Virgin Mobile during the final rounds of 2002 when the IFC Ducati team folded leaving him without a ride and, is looking forward to the coming season: "It's excellent to be back racing with Virgin Mobile and working with Rob and the team again. After testing the R1, I definitely feel that it is a race-winning bike and I'm looking forward to getting out there and doing exactly that. The team have real passion for the job, the R1 should suit my riding style and I'm keen to make a point!"

Virgin Mobile Samsung team boss Rob McElnea, said: "We are really pleased to have signed Sean. He is a proven race winner who works hard to get the best out of a bike. I'm confident that with Sean we will be able to take the Yamaha R1 to the next level in terms of development and results.