With so many fast sections at Monza, and so many areas of hard braking, the official Kawasaki duo of
Regis Laconi and
Fonsi Nieto will be looking to Monza as a good opportunity to make up the ground they have lost in the early part of the 2007 season. If they can combine their machine's impressive power output with a good set-up for the many chicanes at Monza, then the sky is the limit. Another rider looking to get back to his usual self is Biaggi's team-mate Yukio Kagayama; a rider much injured this year, in terms of confidence as well as physical abilities.
With so many good officially entered machines in SBK this year, it has been a tough year for the privateers so far - with the exception of Xaus. Along with Neukirchner and Fabrizio, Caracchi SC Ducati's Jakub Smrz has been consistently impressive on his 2005 bike, while riders like Josh Brookes and Alto Evolution Honda team-mate
Karl Muggeridge occasionally shining through the bad luck they have experienced too often for their liking so far. Steve Martin's on/off relationship with DFX Honda means he may or may not appear for the cash-strapped outfit at Monza.
A vast grid of riders will take on the Supersport challenge but the story of the year so far in terms of wins and podiums is
Kenan Sofuoglu. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider is already a staggering 53 points clear of his nearest challenger, after four wins and one second place!
The Turk will be joined once more by his regular team-mate, Sebastien Charpentier, who is fighting back from pelvic and coccyx injury. The double champion is currently only 14th overall after positing only two race finishes.
GIL Kawasaki's Fabien Foret is second overall, the only man to have deposed Sofuoglu from his perennial winning status. After a third at Assen, he will fancy his chances on his highly adept new Kawasaki at Monza.
Such has been the hurly-burly of the crash-strewn Supersport battles thus far that Althea Honda's Katsuaki Fujiwara is still third overall, despite two recent no scores, which were neither his nor his team's fault.
