Three Aprilia RSV4 bikes will race this weekend at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, as Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils riders Leon Haslam and Jordi Torres are joined on-track by the Aprilia Racing Team machine of Max Biaggi.

The return of Biaggi for two rounds (Misano and Sepang) has made worldwide headlines, while Haslam and Torres are looking to make further progress.

“I'm getting back on the track!” Italian Biaggi smiles. “It is truly very exciting for me to return to racing, to taste the adrenaline of competition again, especially on a circuit as special to me as Misano. In my work as a tester I'm helping Aprilia develop the new RSV4 RF, working very well with the guys that I know well and who by now understand me at first glance.

“The wild card is a 'cherry on the top' so to speak, a chance where I definitely plan on giving my all. I am also well aware of the difficulties. Our rivals are in grand form and for me it won't be easy at all. The goal is first and foremost to have fun, not to predict any results, but to give 100% to bring a smile to the face of Aprilia, the fans and all enthusiasts. Sunday after Race 2 we'll draw our conclusions.”

Press attention may be focused on Biaggi but Haslam believes victory could be possible, having not won a race since the season-opening round in Australia.

“Misano is always a special race - the track and area is fantastic,” says the Englishman. “To have Max has a team mate for this is very special. There is a new tarmac which is reported to be very different, so I can’t wait to gets things going and to try the solutions we found in Portimao. We need to keep pushing to fight for the top spots, and I would love to repay all my Aprilia team with a victory on home soil.”

After Imola, Donington Park and Portimao – all new circuits for Jordi Torres – he is now looking forward to returning to familiar territory.

“I am coming to Misano with a great desire to do well,” states the Spaniard. “I know the track so I'll be able to adapt quicker here. Our biggest effort will be performing well in Superpole in order to start as far forward as possible and lock onto the lead group. In the Portimao tests we tried various configurations precisely to streamline the bike adjustment process during the weekend. We'll also need to work on tyre duration in order to be competitive even at the end of the race. The Misano track has a lot of closed turns where we need to get the RSV4 RF to perform at the top of its game.”

Misano first appeared on the WorldSBK calendar in 1991. Until 2007, the circuit ran in the opposite direction (anti-clockwise as opposed to its clockwise configuration of nowadays).