...that's the competition to stay at the top of the pile in the highly competitive business of racing. Every race fan knows by now that what happens on the track represents the culmination of endless hours, days and years of application.

In terms of "time served", MSS Discovery team principle, Nick Morgan has a racing CV that stretches back to the early 1980's and encompass UK and world success, racing with some of the most noteworthy riders of the past twenty five years and a fund of track and off-track stories that ensure the MSS Discovery pit box is both one of the most productive yet good humoured corners of any paddock.

Here - in his own words - is a short "potted" history of the MSS story from way back when to right here now. Check back soon, or sign up for the news, offers and updates section below, to find out when the larger (and more revealing!) version of the this racing yarn will unravel itself.

"Flying the flag" in the 1980's...

"I first caught the racing bug in the early 1980's", confesses Morgan. "And as a cocky teenager, I dived in the deep end and got myself a Kawasaki GPz1100 for proddy racing. What a handful ! - a reputed 120horsepower, sit-up-and-beg riding position and me, a gangly eighteen year old, being towed along like a flag behind it!"

Following in the wheel tracks - although admittedly not in the same races - as his hero's like Keith Huewen and Steve Parrish, Morgan went on to race more proddy based machinery like an RD350, a 250 Gamma and an early GSXR750.

In time all these early bikes, and the need to make them go faster and handle better, would be central to the formation of MSS Kawasaki and the MSS Discovery team... but we are getting ahead of ourselves just a tad...

"I look back now and one of the defining points in my career - and I suppose my life - was being apprenticed to Malcolm Gentry, a legendary tuner of drag bikes at Daytona Kawasaki in Hornchurch near my home in Chelmsford, Essex"

"Malcolm allowed me to work on the Daytona Kawasaki Z1R drag bikes and explained the intricacies of the, at that time, complex and exotic MTC and Rayjay turbo systems. It was Malcolm who I have to thank for not just arousing my interest in tuning, but encouraging me to understand the almost intangible "feel" necessary with tuning motorcycles"... "Mind you, Malcolm also allowed me to make him and the other guys literally gallons of tea, to wear out several brooms sweeping up the yard and study the inside of the waste bin behind the shop on more than once occasion. That side of the apprenticeship made me realise that racing was certainly very serious but could also be fun - a maxim that I continue to live by today".

The lure of Mona's Isle...

The Isle of Man beckoned in 1991 and Nick entered as a rider in the famous Manx GP, the recognised "training ground" for future full TT riders. As a novice complete with his orange "bib" to warn other riders of his inexperience on the 37 ¾ mile public roads circuit, Morgan soon got his head round the unforgiving ribbon of tarmac and finished a more than respectable forth at his first attempt behind eventual winner, and current Pirelli tyre guru, Jason Griffiths.

That outing on a Yamaha OW01 was followed a year later with a Kawasaki ZXR750K and then in 1993, a fragile yet fast Ducati 926 Corsa.

"It lunched itself in practice and we had to replace the crankcases and many other major parts just to get to the grid. I was less than happy to be riding what was, in many ways, an untested bike for the first time in the actual race, but I got my head down and, like is often the case at the Manx, the road just unfolded in front of me. Without really knowing it, I had one of my best races on the Island finishing a strong 4th and having the honour of being the highest Ducati finisher at any TT event since the late, great Mike Hailwood."

The following year was a year of firsts for Morgan, drawn to start as Number One rider at the Manx he also experienced the realities of running his own racing business.

From a double garage to the world stage...

"At that time I ran the whole set up out of what amounted to a double garage, yet the success we achieved was in direct contrast to our modest surroundings. Running a Peter Beale owned OW01 we came 8th at the Daytona 200 with the late Mark Farmer, who also travelled to the Macau GP with us, and came third overall - that was some achievement too as he was up against V4 factory two strokes and full blown Superbikes on a bike we had prepped in an Essex garage!"

It was with rider David Goodley that the beginnings of what has become a long association with Kawasaki started to take root.

"I was looking after a ZXR750 for Dave and put it together using Kawasaki racing kit parts using Dyno time borrowed from Pete Gibson. I was amazed at both how comprehensive the kit was and the quality of the components. Obviously you could not just whack the stuff in and expect instant results, but, what I liked best was the logical way all the parts related to each other and how they responded to considered changes. It was probably then that I took stock and thought that Kawasaki was going to figure more prominently in my future than any other brand.

At the same time - almost in an act of synchronicity - Kawasaki released the first in along line of Supersport 600's which would become the basis of a UK and worldwide business for Nick and MSS, and which would bring them into focus as the premier Kawasaki team in domestic Supersport racing.

"We did the TT with David Goodley on a ZX-6RF1 and it was like a revelation. Because you could only make minor changes under the rules I realised that only the very best prepared machine would succeed and that has continued to stimulate my interest from that day to this".

Running against the factory boys...

The first "proper" year of the Nick Morgan Racing team was 1998 with the much missed rider Ronnie Smith on a ZX-6R in the UK National Championship. The TT that year with Ronnie again ZX-6R mounted eventually gave way to the start of the new Millennium and Gary Mason in Supersport and Russell Aldridge on a ZX-9R Superstock bike. A win at the Brands Hatch World Superstock round - plus the experience of being well ahead of the factory Kawasaki team during a wild card World Supersport race appearance - convinced Morgan that things were truly coming together.

"As soon as I saw that we could run with the factory boys it made things so much easier. The doubt was gone and I knew that we had the depth of talent to succeed, all we needed to do was work hard - bloody hard as it turned out!".

Along with new riders for 2001 including Callum Ramsay and Stuart Wickens was Australian, Kim Ashkenazi, who proved very successful on the MSS prepared machinery. With this success arrived a new look for the racing direction with the formation of MSS Performance, a business focused on offering racing customers the benefit of all the past experience gained, along with access to exotic Kawasaki racing kit parts, of which Morgan became the official UK Kawasaki distributor.

(Note: It was also at this time that the team created the much loved and much missed "Bertha", a ZX-9R based Superstock machine which, although it was at a capacity disadvantage, actually took pole position at Thruxton on one occasion and gave a tremendous account of itself over a three year period starting in 1991.)

"We built on the work Kim did with Pete Jennings the following year and came 4th overall in the UK Supersport Championship. The next year we ran Rob Frost on a ZX-6RR".

Such was the stature of the team by this time it came as no surprise that Frost's team-mate was World Supersport star - and sometime 500GP rider - Pere Riba.

In recognition of the growing international stature of the team, Kawasaki Motors France sanctioned rising star, Julien da Costa to cross the channel and ride for the team in selected events.

"Julien did three events for us and in total went out on track four times. Doesn't sound like a lot but in doing so he racked up an amazing two race wins and two second places on our ZX-10R. All of that was achieved without ever having raced in the UK - just amazing."

A 4th place as a wild card entry for Riba at the Silverstone World Supersport race underlined the team's competitiveness on the world stage prefaced the 2005 season with Riba remaining and Frost giving way to "Likeable Scot", Steve Allan.

Riba continued his association with the team for 2006 and was partnered by Kieran Murphy on the MSS Discovery ZX-6RR machines.

"It kind of crept up on us really" says Morgan. "We realised that to run in Supersport at the top level you need virtually the same kit - and budget - as a Superbike team. The tie up with Stuart Simmonds and creation of MSS Discovery racing was a logical step and it brought with it official team status from Kawasaki Motors UK in the Supersport category".

Official KMUK support for MSS Discovery Racing...

Spin forward one year and MSS Discovery Racing find themselves on the Superbike and Supersport grids with riders Michael Rutter on the "big bike" and former British Supersport Champion, Stuart Easton on the ZX-6R.

"The team and riders thought we were ready for it, but it was still quite intimidating to carry the mantle of Official Kawasaki Motors UK team in both of the UK's premier championships in 2007. To be fair it was as much a learning year as anything else. Anything that went right was analysed carefully - and anything that went wrong was dissected to the finest degree. To have Rutter on the bike was a privilege and, despite the fact we did not figure at the front, he taught us more in a year about a "factory" style approach than any team could wish for - it certainly readied us for the next massive leap that 2008 represents".

With the continued status as official Kawasaki Motors UK Superbike team, the Supersport baton has now been passed to Gearlink Kawasaki while Morgan and his team concentrate their efforts on an ambitious two rider outfit aboard the gorgeous new for '08 Ninja ZX-10R.

"What a great cocktail we've mixed together for the 2008 season", enthuses Morgan. "We've got a season of experience in Superbike behind us and we are competing in the UK's premier championship on a new bike with two exciting young riders who have talent by the skip full."

"With consistently fast time in pre-season testing, I am just as pleased with the way Billy (McConnell) and Stuart (Easton) have performed on the bike as the way they have gelled with each other and the team."

"This year will again see us doing what we do best, getting under the skin of the hyper budget teams, racking up points, looking for podiums and flying the Kawasaki flag in the British Superbike Championship."