Race 2 at Misano last weekend marked the first time in the 2015 season that Leandro Mercado had failed to finish a race, having fallen at Turn 8.

Despite the misfortune in Italy, the Barni Racing Team rider has finished in the points at every other race so far in 2015, which is his first full season in World Superbike.

“I’m feeling very motivated,” says the reigning Superstock 1000 Champion. “I’m able to keep working and being more competitive all the time. I don’t feel tired neither physically nor mentally. I’m always just looking forward to the next day. It hurt to have a retirement at Misano; it was weekend which began well, but we found ourselves with a lot of problems looking for a solution to the rear tyre wear.

“Generally, though, I’m very pleased. We also need to bear in mind that an injury I had meant that we couldn’t do any testing until Phillip Island and, even then, I was still suffering with a wrist injury. We’ve been arriving at circuits with a blank sheet of paper each time, as unlike other teams we have no previous data.”

Mercado’s next stop will be Laguna Seca – a circuit he has previously ridden during his time in AMA Pro Road Racing in 2008 and 2009.