Clearly one of the best MX2 riders in the World he battled hard with Christophe Pourcel at the start of the 2010 AMA 250cc Championship only to pick up an injury that ruined his season.

Now back contesting the World Championships many expect him to surprise the teenage pairing of Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings of the Red Bull Teka KTM Factory team.

We decided to catch up with Searle and ask him how it’s all going so far in 2011.

MXlarge: Tommy, how is it going mate, you must be loving this weather at the moment?

Searle: It is going good thanks Geoff, it's amazing this weather. I might as well be California; it hasn't rained in like five weeks. I was in the South of France and it was sunny every day and England has been the same.

MXlarge: Can you explain how your pre-season races have gone so far?

Searle: I did a French International and a French Championship and won everything on the 250. We had to also race the French 450cc guys and those guys are fast on their own tracks, guys like Boog and Aranda. I also did Hawkstone Park, it was my first race in England since the Motocross of Nations in 2008. It was nice to be back home, it didn't feel like I had been gone so long, it was just another race really. I mean it was nice, a lot of kids and fans there, but it was fun.

MXlarge: Obviously a lot of the hype is around Ken Roczen and Jeffrey Herlings. Does that bother you, or is it okay?

Searle: To me it's good, I am confident and I know I am riding well. If I wasn't riding well and the hype was around those guys then whatever. I know I am going to be right there, I won't be off the pace. I rode against a few of the top MX2 guys in Hawkstone Park and I was the quickest guy there. It was nice; I wasn't pushing or anything and just riding inside my limits. I moved another step forward this year; it's good to not have the hype. People are starting to realize that I have the speed. People are saying I have my speed back from 2008, but that is BS, I have always been fast, also last year in America. I mean I was in the hunt in that first moto of the AMA Nationals and battled with Pourcel, then I injured my shoulder, the speed has always been there. Now I am back here I am faster than ever.

MXlarge: What about Roczen, he showed great speed last year and obviously had that great performance at the MXoN in America. You have also been good at the MXoN in the past and you have always showed you have good speed, but what is your opinion of him?

Searle: He's good, but like you said, I've been good at the des Nations also, I think I have been on the podium every race I've done at the des Nations. It's a different race, he went to last year’s des Nations and he had something to prove, it was his first race in America and he wanted to go there, he rode amazingly, that is just one race and there are sixteen races in the Championship. But he is fast, he works hard and he has fun, he's an all round good kid, he is going to be fast on the bike, but he is beatable.

MXlarge: So what about Bulgaria, what are you looking forward to there. Are you looking forward to racing the teenagers or just racing in general?

Searle: I am looking forward to race. I am exciting to go to Bulgaria because I know what I can do and how I feel at the moment. I am enjoying it, but I haven't though like, wow it's going to be exciting to race these young guys. It is what is it and I am not thinking too much about who I am racing, be it this guy or that guy. I will try and go there and do my best and have fun. I haven't race at the very top level for a long time and that is what I am looking forward to.

MXlarge: So you are not really that busy with Roczen, Herlings or anyone else?

Searle: No, not at all, I feel good in my riding and I feel like if I go there and ride my best and ride how I am riding at the moment I am going to be good. That is the plan and maybe I have a big wakeup call when I get there, but as you say I know the guys who are going to be fast and there won't be any surprises. I know who will be fast and you can pretty much know who is going to finish in second, third and fourth. I've watched the races and I haven't forgotten that the Grand Prix riders are fast. I can only concentrate on what I am doing. It is what it is. If we have a problem in Bulgaria we will fix it and carry onto the next round. With the team and bike we have I am slightly confident.

MXlarge: One of your big rivals from your last Grand Prix series was Antonio Cairoli. In that 2008 season you were often as fast or faster than him, but now he is a four times World Champion and considered one of the fastest riders in the World. Do you ever think about the different directions your careers took?

Searle: He deserves everything he gets. I look at that somewhat, he's stepped his game up, after he lost the title in 2008 he seemed to come back stronger than ever, and he stepped it up. In this sport you need a bit of luck, I mean you sometimes have bad luck and it can ruin your whole season. You do get lucky and unlucky. I got injured in the first Supercross and it set me back and that was another year gone. All of a sudden you are a nobody and people forget you are pretty fast I mean you have to be getting the results. Like anyone, look at James Stewart, he didn't ride for a while and everyone was saying he won't touch Dungey the next year, no matter how fast you are if you are gone for one year everyone forgets how fast you are.

MXlarge: What about heading back to America to race, is that still one of your goals?

Searle: I will see, I am really having fun being back here, good place to live, good people around me, so far it's been great, we will see. We see how the year pans off, I have a house in America, I like the lifestyle in America, and I’ve got a house there. If I get the chance to go back there I have everything back there, just like I have everything I need here. When we go back for Glen Helen I will stay in my house and I also have my truck there. It’s easy either way.

MXlarge: What do you have coming up before Bulgaria?

Searle: I have a French Championship race this weekend, fly there tomorrow. I have been in Holland and Belgium testing and next week I head off to England and we have a weekend off. I've got some really good tracks to ride in England, so it's all good. If I now put in one or two weeks of hard work for Bulgaria.