The undulations, fast corners and chicanes of Imola never cease to provide dramatic backdrops for the latter stages of any SBK season, but with many further alterations planned for the track over the winter; this year's event may now take on a particularly important historical mantle. It will be a poignant race for all the Italian fans, who will have their final chance to see one of their undisputed heroes, Pierfrancesco Chili riding for DFX Treme Honda, race in front of a home crowd in SBK. The 42-year-old, with strong personal and family ties to the local Emilia-Romagna area, is sure to get a rousing send off, having already taken part in more SBK races than any other rider - 274 pre-Imola.
The city centre venue of Imola has hosted five previous SBK rounds, and in terms of riders still current in SBK racing, two have won races before -
Ruben Xaus and
Regis Laconi, who have scored a remarkable three Imola wins each. Xaus on the Sterilgarda Berik Ducati and Laconi riding the PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse were on twin-cylinder machinery when they took their wins, with Ducatis powering them home to five of the races victories, and Laconi scoring his lone win for Aprilia in 2001, on an RSV Mille.
Last year, weather conditions saw to it that there was only one individual Imola race, instead of the normal two, and
Chris Vermeulen on the Winston Ten Kate Honda, won the race, but lost the championship to this season's outgoing number one plate holder,
Troy Corser on his Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra.
Corser and his compatriot Andrew Pitt on the Yamaha Motor Italia bike enter the Imola round split by only a point in the championship table, and with each more than 50 points behind Toseland in third, they may realistically be fighting for fourth place. That will do little to dampen the competitive spirit of each of the ever-combative Aussie duo, as they also have a third rider in the hunt for a top four championship finish - and maybe even a fourth. Alex Barros riding the Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR is only 24 points behind Pitt, and the Brazilian star sees Imola as a place at which he can really challenge for podiums, after a season of highs and lows.
