Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet have developed a newfound confidence since the post-race test in Portugal, now heading to the PATA Riviera di Rimini Round with confidence for what will be the 15th and 16th races of the WorldSBK season.

On Monday after the races at Portimao, Lowes felt far more comfortable with his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki bike as he took big steps with the Magneti Marelli electronics package.

“I like the Misano track but it was one of the most difficult weekends last year for me, Eugene (Laverty, then team-mate) and the whole team,” reports Englishman Lowes. “It’s never nice knowing we’ve struggled there in the past but I’m hoping we can lay those ghosts to rest this year. I really like the layout and the whole place. I’m looking forward to getting there. I’m hoping for a normal weekend, to build on the developments made in Portimao and getting back in the mix for race day.”

De Puniet’s best lap time in the Portimao test was half a second quicker than his fastest lap time on Superpole rubber, despite some technical problems during the day.

“Misano is a tight track but it’s nice to race,” Frenchman de Puniet begins. “You have fast corners, slow corners and I’ve always had a good feeling there. With the developments made with the GSX-R at the Portimao test, I’m really pleased and happy to go to Misano. I’m hoping to start with the same base we found in Portugal and continue to make more improvements throughout the weekend, so we can start to return to a normal race pattern and have a good result on Sunday.”

Although de Puniet’s outing this weekend will be his first at Misano in WorldSBK, he has raced there on seven occasions in Grand Prix racing between 2007 and 2013.