It’s been three years since World Superbike has graced the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari racing circuit in Imola, Italy. It returns this weekend with three rounds left in the World Superbike series, a pivotal race in the championship points standings between current leader, Yamaha’s Ben Spies and Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga.

Sitting a mere 18 points ahead of Haga, American rider Spies will have a battle on his hands when the flag drops on Sunday. Noriyuki “Nitro Nori” Haga DNF’d on Race 2 at The Ring after he and Hannspree Honda’s Jonathan Rea made contact and it’s no secret he is aching for a win at Imola to put him back on top. With Ducati backing Haga again in 2010, he’s determined for a top podium finish.

“I will give 200% in Imola this weekend, and then if that’s not enough I’ll redouble my efforts at Magny and Portimao!” Haga vowed.

But Spies won’t go quietly. The young Texan is also looking to finish the season strong and add to his list of career highlights, which if rumors are true, may include switching to MotoGP in 2010 instead of the reported 2011.

When testing at Imola concluded in July, Haga’s Ducati teammate, Michel Fabrizio lapped consistently fast around the Italian circuit, second only to Rea. If Fabrizio continues this trend, he’ll whittle valuable points away from both Spies and Haga and close the gap on Haga for second. Fabrizio, who also renewed his contract with Ducati for 2010, is also focusing on the final three races.

“I’m currently third in the championship and I’ll continue to give my all in the final three rounds. At Imola I’m going to go on fighting my own battle and then we’ll see how Nori and I are placed… I’ll perhaps change my strategy for the last two races, if need be, in order to assist Nori,” Fabrizio said.

Fresh off a win in Race 2 at The Ring, Rea has run a remarkable rookie season including winning his first World Superbike race win back in June at Misano. The 22-year-old has a thirst for more victories and has vowed to fight in the final three rounds.

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi will also be gunning for the podium this weekend. Biaggi, who currently sits 140 points behind Spies, remains in the hunt mathematically of winning the championship, but would need an extraordinary turn of events to bring home the World Superbike title. Realistically, Emperor Max remains a podium threat in any given race and would love to add another win for his Aprilia factory team. 

Troy Corser and BMW continue to make great strides with the S1000RR and while Corser is anxious to race again, he has mixed feelings about the modified chicane section of the track. Corser commented, “Although we have tested at Imola this year - on the new layout - there is still lots to learn and do. For me the new approach to the front straight is not as good as before and the final chicane could cause problems. I am looking forward to riding my bike again as I believe that we have made really good progress recently and I want to see how this progress continues in Imola.”

Corser’s teammate, Rubex Xaus, who suffered a broken leg after a highside in Brno, is hopeful he may return to race Imola, but it won’t be decided until just before the race. Xaus remarked, “My physiotheraphy and rehabilitation has gone very well and I think I will be able to race in Imola. Just before Imola, I will get on a bike and see how my leg behaves and how it feels when I get off the bike. In the normal scheme of things, I should really not be on a bike at all before Portimao, but everything has gone well so far and I am very eager to get on my bike and race. I saw the progress at Brno before I crashed and I am itching to get on my bike and see how much progress the team have made since then. There is no absolutely final decision about Imola yet, but I am very, very hopeful.”

Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner, is still on the sidelines after crashing at Monza where he injured his right foot. Whether Neuk will return in time for Magny-Cours is undecided. Replacement rider Karl Muggerridge will again partner with Yukio Kagayama for this weekend and both are pushing for their best finish yet after a disappointing weekend at The Ring.
 
With temperatures expected to be in the mid 60s by race day, conditions at Imola should be ideal for racing. The track has seen a few modifications in layout since World Superbike last raced there, with the section from the Rivazza to the pit straight receiving a new chicane. It still remains one of the most technical courses the World Superbike racers will face.

Italy Track Facts:
Circuit Length: 4959 meters
Race Distance: 21 laps = 64 miles
Lap Record: Alex Barros – 1:50.266 (2006)

Broc Parkes
“I'm looking forward to the Imola race as I have had podiums in WSS there before and also a couple of top tens in WSB. I really enjoy the circuit and it has a great atmosphere. Nurburgring was a tough weekend after I was taken out in the first race and I was lucky not to break any bones, but I had skin taken off my bottom which made it uncomfortable to ride but I'm feeling good now and ready to race. For Imola, we have some more things to try on the bike so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. Each race we seem to be making progress and I would really like to be back in the top ten in Imola." 

Makoto Tamada 
"The test went well earlier in the season at Imola and I am pretty confident about the circuit. We were still relatively behind the leaders in terms of lap times at the test, but the bike feeling has improved significantly since then and I was confident on the race set-up at Nurburgring but unfortunately the crash in race one took me out of both races. I have no significant injury and my broken finger from Brno is healed so I am 100% fit for Imola. If the bike works well as it did in Brno and Nurburgring, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R should finish in an easy top ten. I guess it depends on me if we can finish in the top five, or even on the podium."

Yukio Kagayama
"We tested here in July and I think that the changes may be better for cars than they are for bikes. The approach to the final chicane is not so good for us and I hope that nobody crashes in this area, especially if they are in a group of riders. But of course, the track is the same for all of us and I, like everybody, will be doing the best we can. In the last round, we made a radical change to the bike and it worked out pretty well, so this is where we will start from in first practice. I am hoping that we can be more competitive this coming weekend because I really want to do well again. Sometimes this season has been a bit frustrating, so it would be good to have some positive results in Imola and then more of the same in the last two rounds."

Karl Muggeridge
It’s great to get another opportunity to race for Suzuki Alstare Brux and I hope that now that I know the bike a bit better I can give them better results. There was a lot for me to learn in the Nurburgring and I will continue this process in Imola. I will be at a disadvantage to most, if not all of, the top riders because they tested in July and so they will know the new layout better than me. I am looking forward to working with the whole team again and repaying their faith in me. I would like to wish Max all the best and hope his recovery has gone well and he returns soon. In the meantime, I will do the best I can."

Noriyuki Haga
"We came away from Nürburgring disappointed, because we know we should have, and could have, taken at least one race win. Now I am in second place in the championship which means that at Imola it is even more important to finish first. There are 50 points on offer at Imola and the gap between Ben and I is only eighteen... It is of course Ducati’s home track and we haven’t been here for a few years, so, as well as needing the points for the championship, it would be great to do well in front of all the Ducatisti.”

Michel Fabrizio
“I was very comfortable on this track when we tested here in July, and one of the fastest, but I’m aware that it will be significantly cooler for the race and that may make a difference. The 2006 Imola event was one to forget for me but this year I am much more confident, mainly due to the fact that testing proved the 1198 can go well here. I’m looking forward to the final Italian race event of the season!”

Jonathan Rea
"The Nurburgring win in race two was good, but I needed it after messing up the first race. It just shows that I’m still learning and how much I need to keep pushing. But it was another step up for me, the team and the bike, and that’s what we’ve been looking for in each race this season. The CBR1000RR is a race-winning package now and I need to make sure that I’m there too. It’s all positive for Imola and I’m looking forward to heading back there – there’s so much motorsport history, you can’t help but get goosebumps. We’ll look to confirm the setting that we finished the July test with and then try to get down to some serious lap times and fine tune things for Sunday. It was a good test that we had there and I hope we can turn that and recent form into some decent results."

Carlos Checa
"The last few races have been good for me and for the team and it has felt really nice to be up on the podium again. We have found the right balance with the bike over the last few races and I would say that 70% of the improvement has been down to the way we have been working as a team and with the new suspension technicians. Electronics have improved, too, and the faster tracks seem to suit our bike a little better. It’s a good thing that the last three rounds are all at those kind of circuits. We had a good test at Imola and the recent improvements and results have given us a momentum that we want to continue and given me a renewed confidence for the remainder of the season."