Chaz Davies is in need of a high-scoring weekend at Donington, having been unable to finish either of the two Imola races last time out. Round 6 will mark the home round for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team rider, who has fallen to fourth in the Riders’ Championship and 117 points in arrears of leader Jonathan Rea.

“Last year we had a pretty average weekend at Donington,” says the Welshman, who in 2014 finished the pair of British races in fifth position. “It’s always been a bit of a difficult one for me, actually, and I’d class it as similar to Assen; having said that, we did alright at Assen this year so I guess it’s a case of turning up and seeing what we can do. Anyway, it’s a home race for me so the extra support will be nice and my aim, as ever, will be to finish both races on the podium.”

Team-mate Davide Giugliano had a home event at Imola last time out, raising eyebrows as he picked up a podium position after scoring the Tissot Superpole on Saturday, despite it being his first race event of the year.

“I really like the Donington track and we did well there last year, scoring pole position and fourth place in Race 2, though I crashed in Race 1 when my glove got caught up with the throttle,” the Italian recalls. “This week I’ve focused on training, as I want to get back in shape as soon as possible. Over just a few days I haven’t been able to do a great deal, but I’ve already improved a little. The races keep coming, and I really suffered at Imola, so it’s important to return to competitiveness as quickly as possible. I’ll do my best to do well again this coming weekend.”

Opening World Superbike practice at Donington comes from 10am local time (GMT +1) on Friday, with Sunday’s races starting at 12pm and 3pm local time.