Grip and starts sit at the top of Carlos Checa's 'to do' list as he heads to the latest round of the World Superbike Championship at Misano eager to keep the gap down to series leader Troy Bayliss.

After disappointing weekend at the Nurburgring that yielded two rather anonymous fifth places, Checa cited a lack of grip for his inability to challenge for victory, while his lacklustre starts have also let down his title charge.

Nonetheless, Checa is aware of the improvements he needs to make on his Ten Kate Honda and has chosen this weekend's round in San Marino to help himself remain in the hunt.

“Misano is a great track and I like racing in hot conditions. I just hope we can find the grip that we lacked at the Nürburgring and that brought us the wins in America.”

“The bike is feeling good and I'm feeling in pretty good shape as well, so we should be in a strong position to push for a podium place. But anything could happen.

“If we can find the right set-up early in the qualifying sessions I can secure a good spot on the starting grid. I'm still working on improving my starts, but I'm confident I can fight for a good result this weekend.”