Superbike: The World Championship restarts from Jerez de la Frontera

Even for the ENI FIM Superbike World Championship the holidays are now coming to an end: the protagonists of the world competition will in fact return to the track this weekend in Jerez de la Frontera, for the tenth round of the season.

This is the third edition for the Andalusian circuit, after its return to the calendar last year and a first fleeting appearance way back in 1990.
The Jerez track is highly appreciated by professionals for its interesting combination of curves of different radius, length and speed which, combined with the absence of long straights, enhances the talent of the drivers and usually provides spectacular races.

Third to last round of the season, the Spanish event will have a key role in the fate of the Championship, given the "only" 150 points still up for grabs: Tom Sykes, who won the title of Superbike World Champion here last year , is at the top of the standings with 44 points ahead of Sylvain Guintoli.
Both riders are looking for their first victory on this track: in 2013 the absolute dominator was Eugene Laverty, who scored a double in his last weekend as an official Aprilia rider.

Trying to make predictions, the Suzuki driver and his teammate, Alex Lowes, set excellent times in the three days of testing in Jerez last April, as did Jonathan Rea who, despite being 64 points from the top, is still mathematically fighting for the title.
Similar situation for Loris Baz who is only eight points behind the Pata Honda rider: the young Frenchman is still looking for his first victory of the year, after having reached the podium eight times.
For Marco Melandri, the last edition of the Jerez round was very tormented due to the ankle injury suffered in a domestic accident: despite the pain, the rider from Ravenna managed to achieve a spectacular second place, beaten by Laverty at the last corner before of the finish line, but giving up taking part in the second heat.
Melandri will arrive in Spain ready to erase the bad memory of the crash in Race 2 at Laguna.

At Ducati, Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies are aiming for great results this weekend, on a track that on paper should suit a 1199 Panigale R that is significantly improved compared to last year.

After missing the US round following the bad fall during the Portimao round, Claudio Corti will return to the track in Jerez, where he has already raced in the past in MotoGP and Moto2.

For the EVO category, despite the operation on his right hand, scheduled for the end of July, David Salom will participate in his home round with the aim of increasing the 37 points lead over Niccolò Canepa, while he will return to the track, after the accident at Laguna Seca, also Sylvain Barrier.

On paper, the characteristics of the circuit should further level the performance of a category that is already very balanced.