WITH little under a fortnight since he stood proudly on the podium after a pair of second place finishes to complete a turbulent season, James Ellison is already switching his attention to an assault on the MCE British Superbike championship next year.

Kendal's Ellison emerged as a front runner and likely Title Showdown contender before he broke his right femur and kneecap in three places in a high-speed crash at Brands Hatch in the summer.

That scuppered the 34-year-old's chances with three weekends on the calendar written off for rest and recuperation but he returned in fine style, scoring points in the final four meets including a stunning double at Brands Hatch the weekend before last.

Frustrated with how his season's dreams were ended in a split-second, Ellison insists he will put that behind him and will return ready for action come April.

"We wanted to end the season on a high," said Ellison, who ultimately finished eighth in his debut season for Lloyds British GBmoto Kawasaki. "People were saying are you worried about going back to Brands Hatch but I wasn't because I wanted to see where we are at and we actually went quicker.

"That gives me a lot of confidence going into winter training knowing that even running at about 85 per cent we can still fight for wins. We will come back next year on the same bike and same crew but go to each round with all the settings ready. So we will turn up on the Friday and input all the data from the previous year whereas this year we were guessing all the different variables.

"When we come back the leg will be fully repaired. I am not going to get over the frustration easily but I can't wait to get back out there and prove we can win the championship. I just need a little bit of luck on my side."

Recalling the crash, Ellison said: "I said after I finished third in the first race we can win this but I need to get out in front of Shakey (Shane Byrne) at the start. I knew if I could get in front of him I had a good chance of keeping him behind.

"I got in front but made a tiny mistake on one corner and kept my throttle open and just drifted wide. I hit the white line and it snapped my leg and that was the end of the season. I thought I had enough grip but as soon as I hit the white line that was it."

Before the crash in the second race at Brands Hatch in July, EIlison picked up six third place finishes as well as a runners-up spot at Knockhill.

After missing two races and undergoing rehabilitation, physiotherapy and hyperbaric pressure chamber sessions, Ellison returned to the track less than a month later to get through qualifying at Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Forced to retire before the race because of the pain, Ellison returned to Donington Park just seven weeks after his crash before ending the season on high by qualifying on pole before his podium finishes on his return to Brands Hatch.

"It was definitely a season of two halves," said Ellison. "We started off so well despite being on a new bike with a new team. It was all new so I don't think myself or the team expected the results to be so strong at the start."

Ellison, who pledged his future to GBmoto Kawasaki at the end of the season, plans to spend much of the winter with his wife, Sarah, and their 11-month-old baby boy, Ryder, in Texas.

"They are going over this week," said Ellison. "I've still got a lot to do over here like the motorcycle show so I will join them at end of the November and stay until the end of February - just training basically.

"Our main role is to keep fit just like any athlete. Most of us have personal trainers, dieticians as well as years of experience in eating the right foods so staying fit is basically my main focus throughout the winter."

Speaking after Ellison extended his contract, team owner Mark Smith-Halvorsen said: "We have signed James again as we knew this year that he was a real title fighter and barring his injury from the crash at Brands Hatch I am sure he would have been a title contender. With this in mind we will work hard over the winter and come back stronger next year. James' goal is the same as the GBmoto team and that is to win the title in 2015."