The World Superbike Championship rides back into town this weekend as the series makes its always successful jaunt to the
Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
With its sweeping, undulating layout, the high-speed track has long been a favourite amongst the best riders, while the thrilling battles it has thrown up in the past means the circuit is rated highly by the 100,000 or so fans who visit every year.
Although British flags will be aimed at wild-card riders this season, there is still likely to be plenty of action from our continental friends, not least championship leader
Troy Bayliss, who is looking to bid farewell to one of his best loved tracks in style.
This is despite the fact that he can almost kick back and concentrate on just finishing after his 50-points haul last time out at Brno helped him stretch his lead to a rather comprehensive 79 points. Although his advantage has been as large as that once before this season, you get the feeling his Miller Motorsports Park faux pas was a flash in the pan for a rider of such calibre and poise…
Indeed, the Bayliss has a good record around Brands Hatch and merely needs to keep his Xerox Ducati pointing in the right direction if he is to take one more significant step towards becoming the first rider to retire on the ultimate high of a championship win.
Once again, his closest competition in the points comes courtesy of Max Neukirchner. Although the German's fine performance this season will certainly leave him satisfied, he maintains that he is still chasing what is becoming an increasingly unlikely title offensive. Nonetheless, an improvement on two tenth places in 2007 will signal yet more progression for what is likely to be a future star of the championship.
If Neukirchner and Suzuki don't step up to the breach, then Yamaha are likely to pose Ducati's biggest threat this weekend. The Japanese manufacturer has been on fine form in recent rounds, with
Noriyuki Haga's double at the Nurburgring and
Troy Corser's sheer consistency arguably making them the most likely package to stop Bayliss and Ducati.
