James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) enters the first ever SBK race weekend at Vallelunga, near Rome, with a 41 point championship lead, and a determination to at least leave for the final round at Magny-Cours the following weekend in a position to secure the World Championship.

If he were to outscore his main rivals by a sufficient margin at Vallelunga, however, he would be crowned champion at the Italian race itself, without the need for the final round to be counted.

The 2004 champion has led the standings from the first meeting at Qatar back in February, has won eight races thus far, including his first career double at Brands Hatch in August, bringing his career wins total to 16, contributing to a combined podium score of 56. The 26-year-old Yorkshireman, now resident in the Isle of Man, leads Noriyuki Haga in the championship fight, with Max Biaggi only 12 points behind the Japanese rider.

Toseland and his team have already tested at Vallelunga, alongside most of his rivals in early July, setting fast times and finishing in the top handful of riders, and ahead of both Haga and Biaggi.

Roberto Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) had a strong showing in the previous round in Germany, and is ready to make a play to finish inside the top six of the championship series. Currently eighth overall, he is only 11 points from joining the top sextet.

Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) is one of two top Superbike riders (the other Biaggi) to be racing at their true home circuit, and the young Roman is convinced even at this early stage that he can challenge for his second podium finish of the year this weekend. He is currently only 14 points from an overall top ten placing.

Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) and Yoann Tiberio (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) line up as team-mates for the second time, with the experience and pace of Muggeridge aiding the young French rider in his quest to make the jump from the WSS series to Superbike. Great improvements in machine settings and overall race readiness were evident at the previous round in Germany and Muggeridge feels this will be carried on into the last two races.

Luca Morelli (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) is another Italian on a mission at home, the teenage rider having already shown flashes of speed in his first SBK season.

Toseland, the class act of the year in a particularly tough season for overall competitiveness, knows that there is still a lot of work to do in his quest for his second world championship title.

"We are so close to the end of the season now, but it still feels a long way away to me - particularly after what happened in Lausitz," said Toseland, alluding to his bad luck in the first race at the previous championship round, which allowed his rivals to reduce his points lead somewhat. "I still have a good advantage, but I know that in racing anything can happen and you can't relax until you have two hands firmly on the trophy. I am trying to focus on the individual races and getting on the podium, but I am not letting go of my lead without a fight."

Rolfo knows he can count on home support at this race, and is confident to meet the first ever World Superbike challenge at Vallelunga head on.

"I'm looking forward to racing at an Italian track again," said the former 250c world championship runner-up. "We tested at Vallelunga earlier this year and I really enjoyed the circuit. There are some slower parts on this track and I found that the feeling on the bike improved a lot on these sections so I feel quite confident about the race. Vallelunga is a very narrow circuit for Superbikes and I think there will be a lot of close calls during the race. I feel fit and healthy for the final rounds and I like the fact that they are so close together!"

Fabrizio's third Italian race of the season is now truly a home race. He understands that the expectation level has been raised at this event, but he is firmly focused on a podium finish, immaterial of the unique circumstances that surround this particular weekend.

"For me Vallelunga will be a very important, because I will race in front of my own public," said Fabrizio. "In Vallelunga I have a lot of memories and it's very good to remember this at the start of the races. I believe that this weekend will be exceptional for me, for my team and for Honda. I want a podium or two, absolutely!"

Muggeridge is one of the riders with zero experience of the new-for-2007 circuit, and is understandably eager to get out there and have a close look at the layout.

"I haven't even seen the place so I am keen to get there," said Muggeridge. "I understand it has a mix of fast and slow sections, but we'll just have to wait and see. The bike was good in the last race, despite some small problems, so we're going to try and have two strong races. It's been good having Yoann in the squad now; he's a young kid, he's very positive about everything and that helps the whole team."

Morelli, a regular in the Italian national series before his mid-season promotion to SBK racing, is well aware of the significance of the first ever Vallelunga SBK race.

"After much time I will return to Vallelunga and for me this event will be fundamental for my chances next season," said Morelli. "To continue my partnership with Honda and Team DFX is my first choice and I will do all in my power for the best results. We expect a lot of Italian spectators to be there, and for them I will race at 200%. I hope that in Vallelunga and Magny-Cours the name Morelli should be present near the top of the final results."

Tiberio will experience only his second competitive Superbike outing this coming weekend, and his enthusiasm for the big capacity machine has already given him a small reward.

"I hope to bring a lot of the lessons I learned at Lausitz to this weekend's race in Italy," said Tiberio. "The Vallelunga race should be exciting and I can't wait to get back onto the track. I scored a point in Germany and it would be great to be able to do that again in Italy. Now I know that racing a Superbike was fun, but it can also be very hard!"

Magny-Cours (7 October) will be the final round of the championship season, one week after the Vallelunga race.