On the plus side, he is closer to the fight for second in the championship than he is to those in the lower reaches of the top ten, with that gaggle being led by
Ruben Xaus.
The first of the riders who were perhaps expected to be doing slightly better at this stage in the season, Xaus didn’t warm to Misano last year, but is quite capable of presenting a more sustained challenge this time. The same could be said for Sterilgarda team-mate Max Biaggi, who has had a frustrating season thus far
Having begun showing glimpses of pace comparable to Bayliss,
Michel Fabrizio will be looking for more podiums – and maybe even a win – this weekend on the bike that is, arguably, the best suited to the circuit. You could say that his future depends on it…
Effectively a home round for
Ryuichi Kiyonari, who doesn’t live too far away from the area, the Japanese rider is desperate for a better showing after decent race pace in recent rounds has been ignored courtesy of lowly starting positions that have left him too much to do come race day.
Elsewhere, countryman
Yukio Kagayama is back in action after the fall that ruled him out of the German round, while Gregorio Lavilla will look to keep his points ticking over in a week that has speculated he may be due for a shock return to the British championship sooner rather than later.
Others to look out for this weekend will be
Lorenzo Lanzi, who performed well at Misano last season, as well as
Roberto Rolfo, who had a top five result too.
PSG-1 Kawasaki are also chasing an improvement in results at Misano, which acts as the San Marino-based team’s home round. After a decent top ten showing at the Nurburgring, the top five now beckons for
Regis Laconi and
Makoto Tamada.
Finally, the World Superbike Championship welcomes back Luca Morelli and says hello to Norino Brignola. Morelli, who was dropped by Alto Evolution Honda earlier this year, will see out the season with D.F. Racing after Russell Holland decided to step down to Supersport instead. Brignola, meanwhile, makes his WSBK debut aboard the Grillini Yamaha in place of the axed Loic Napoleone.
