Although Michelin insist they will be more competitive at Misano, an increasing amount of noise is being made about a switch to a control tyre next season, a contract rivals Bridgestone would be favourites to win. Even if that doesn't occur though, Michelin could face an exodus of teams switching to alternative rubber in 2009 if the situation doesn't improve…

Still, provided Michelin keep up their end of the bargain, Repsol Honda will be back to full strength at Misano, with Pedrosa being joined by Nicky Hayden, the former champion returning to action after injuring himself at the X-Games prior to Brno.

His absence has, however, caused him to slip from the battle for fourth place in the standings, which is continuing to be led by Jorge Lorenzo, the Italian showing flashes of his best form again as he grapples with the myriad of injuries that have stymied his rookie season.

He is coming under pressure, however, from Andrea Dovizioso, who got his head down to finish ninth in Brno, despite being amongst those to be hobbled by their rubber. Another rider to consider Misano his home round, Dovizioso will look to bridge the ten point gap to arch-rival Lorenzo and snatch 'best of the rest' status from him.

Colin Edwards, one of the sharpest critics of Michelin following Brno, remains just eight points further back in sixth place, although he is under pressure from the in-form Chris Vermeulen, the Suzuki rider's two podiums and a sixth place finish hauling him well into the fight for fourth place in the standings.

Suzuki have high hopes for Misano too after Loris Capirossi grabbed a third consecutive podium for them at Brno, a race that also saw the lesser heralded riders grab a few headlines.

This included Toni Elias on the Alice Ducati, who produced a marvellous performance to claim second place in the Czech Republic, while Shinya Nakano showed his capabilities on up to date machinery with fourth place. Anthony West on the Kawasaki in fifth place completed the day for unsung heroes.

Ironically, not one of those three riders is well positioned to hold onto their rides for next season, so each will head to Misano needing to impressive prospective employees instead. Something similar to Brno should do it…

Even so, the only rider confirmed to lose their spot in 2009 is West, who is set to be ousted by Marco Melandri at Team Green if he cannot secure a ride on a third bike. The Italian showed well at Brno, particularly in the latter stages, but whether the likelihood of his move to Kawasaki will take the pressure off or cause him to lose motivation remains to be seen…

Elsewhere, James Toseland will be looking to haul himself inside the top ten overall again having slipped to 11th in the standings, while Alex de Angelis heads to Misano with the ability to officially call the San Marino Grand Prix his home race. Following Nakano's performance at Brno, he will be eager to show off his occasionally fleeting competitiveness here.