WSBK preview: Imola

The 2014 FIM Superbike World Championship will hit the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy for the fourth event of the season from May 9-11.

The classic venue, located 40km south-east of Bologna, saw reigning world champion Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) enjoy a bumper harvest in 2013: the Huddersfield born rider secured pole position and won both races, setting the new outright best lap and lap record in the process. Sykes is the only rider to start from pole position on more than one occasion at the Italian track -- in 2010 (maiden career pole), 2012 and 2013.

After winning his second race of the season last time out at Assen, Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) now lies second in the standings, 12 points shy of the leader and three ahead of fellow Frenchman Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team). Both riders have never won on the Italian track, unlike Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike), who climbed on the top step of the podium at Imola in 2011.

Rea is looking forward to the Italian round, hoping to keep the momentum going after some solid performances in the first three outings of 2014 and his maiden race victory of the year scored in the second Dutch race a fortnight ago.

With the riders in the top four within 19 points of each other, the rest of the field is already falling a significant distance behind. Fifth place Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team), still looking for his first win astride the factory RSV4, has a 39-point gap from the top, with Ducati Superbike Team duo Davide Giugliano (49) and Chaz Davies (61), as well as Voltcom Crescent Suzuki's Eugene Laverty (62), further behind.

Following his double DNF at Assen, Laverty hopes to return to his early season form, while the goal for his teammate Alex Lowes is to build on his maiden WSBK podium, achieved on Dutch soil.

The battle for the title in the EVO class continues at Imola with Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Team) looking strong after finishing twice on top at Assen. David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) will take the charge to the Italian, hoping his injured right hand will not affect his on-track performance. Leon Camier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team) will again replace the injured Sylvain Barrier, while current Italian superbike champion Ivan Goi will make a wildcard appearance aboard an EVO-spec 1199 Ducati Panigale R.

Team Hero EBR (Geoff May and Aaron Yates) will race with an upgraded machine, with Bimota Alstare (Christian Iddon and Ayrton Badovini) and MV Agusta (Claudio Corti) looking for solid results as the action resumes.

In world supersport, the title race sees a consistent Florian Marino (Kawasaki) leading the way, four points ahead of Assen race winner Michael van der Mark (Honda World). Kev Coghlan (Yamaha), third, and Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta), fourth, are only five and eight points shy of the leader.

Three-time world champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) has endured start to the season, crashing out of the opening race and forced to an early retirement in the last encounter at Assen due to a technical problem. Sofuoglu did win in Aragon (his only finish of 2014 so far) and can be confident that last year he was victorious in the Supersport race at Imola, edging out eventual world champion Sam Lowes by 0.5 seconds.