From a press release issued by the World Superbike press office:

Misano action guaranteed to be hot

Taking place only one week after some of the most closely contest World Superbike races in history, at Silverstone in Great Britain, the San Marino round of the 16th World Superbike Championship takes place at what is expected to be a superheated Misano Adriatico circuit in Italy.

Situated behind the Adriatic Riviera towns of Riccione and Cattolica, which become a summer playground for visitors from all over Italy, the Misano Adriatico circuit has hosted 12 previous World Superbike rounds, in an unbroken sequence from 1991 to 2003. Legendary names such as Fogarty, Corser, Chili, Polen, Falappa, Kocinski Russell, Slight and Bayliss have all won races at the compact Misano track, a circuit which has experienced ambient temperatures of up to 40°C in the run-up to this year’s race weekend.

The track itself is something of a torture chamber for tyres, with so many extreme lean angle left hand corners in its relatively short 4.060km length. Most bends are slow and technical but a flat out blast through the gearbox, from the Curva del Caro to the exit of the third left-handed section of the awe-inspiring Curvone, marks Misano out as a uniquely challenging circuit on the SBK trail.

Always a popular venue for the enthusiastic Italian fans, Misano has been a happy hunting ground for some notable names in the current SBK paddock. Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998RS) and Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas FP-1) have both taken wins at the venue, but for current runaway championship leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati Fila 999F03), Misano will be another new world for him to conquer, should he continue his rich seam of form. Eleven wins from 12 attempts sums up his season better than a thousand words of prose, but for Hodgson, Misano may prove to be a crucible, rather than an opportunity to bag another golden cup.

Hodgson’s single defeat thus far took place at Oschersleben in Germany, on a similar track to Misano and in hot weather conditions, and thus the man who sits second in the table at present will fancy his chances to repeat his Oschersleben race two victory. James Toseland (HM Plant Ducati 998 F02) was that man, although his second position in the title race is a closely contested one.

Ruben Xaus, Hodgson’s team-mate in the Ducati Fila team, is a close third, after two podium performances in England ended a run of bad luck and crashes from the outrageously talented Catalan. His performances may be unpredictable but his ability to push the motorcycle to feats of breathtaking bravado put him in an all action class of his own.

On a fully private machine Regis Laconi (NCR Ducati 998RS) will be a threat at such a technical circuit, while Misano may be a venue that Gregorio Lavilla (Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000) can take his first win of the year. Proving beyond doubt the prowess of himself and his four-cylinder 1000cc machine, Lavilla has been a major star this season.

Injury and pain have held back the title charge of Chris Walker (HM Plant Ducati 998F02) but with every week that passes without injury for the enthusiastic Englishman, Walker’s chances of repeating his podium finished increase exponentially, despite the high level of competition in SBK this season.

For the aforementioned Pierfrancesco Chili home tarmac has always been a bitter sweet experience, but even on a private machine Chili will be a threat, having scored a win at Misano in 1997.
Steve Martin (DFX Pirelli Ducati 998RS) heads up a gaggle of fast Ducati privateers yet to win a race: Juan Borja and Marco Borciani (his team-mates) will be out for a big points haul, Lucio Pedercini on his self entered machine is always capable of a strong performance, especially when flanked by his team-mates Nello Russo and Serafino Foti.

Walter Tortoroglio rides a WET Honda VTR1000 on home ground again, while his local riders Ivan Clementi and Mauro Sanchini battle the 1000cc machines on their ex-factory Bertocchi Kawasaki 750s.

Alessandro Gramigni is a big name wild card on his Team Nuvolari 391 Yamaha R1, and a host of other Italian SBK regulars will be out to get their names on the SBK point’s ladder in 2003.

In the World Supersport Championship the seemingly limitless talent and speed of Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) has taken him to four wins out of six, the only others scoring full points so far being Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki GSX-R600) and Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany R6).

Vermeulen’s outstanding performances have drawn him 47 points clear of his competitors, the closest of them being Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda R6) who has scored numerous podiums but no win so far.

Former Misano race winners who will be back in Italy this year include 2000 World Champion Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany), 2002 champion Fabien Foret (Kawasaki Racing Team) and the aforementioned Kellner.

A podium place for Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) may have broken the hex that had appeared to plague his results in the first half of the season, while any number of the 19 full factory machines in World Supersport could be in for a podium finish.