Leon Haslam admits that the upcoming trio of rounds at Aragon, Assen and Imola will be the most important for him this year. The British rider is looking to carry out a successfully damage limitation exercise at circuits on which he expects rivals to be particularly strong before heading to what he believes will be better tracks for Aprilia.

“I have always struggled a bit at Aragon,” Haslam told WorldSBK.com during a telephone interview on Wednesday. “The characteristics of the track haven’t suited me in the past. However, the Aprilia goes really well there, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we can be and what we can do on that circuit. I think it is gong to be one of the tougher races of the year. It is Kawasaki’s test circuit and last year they were first and second in both races. On top of that, the Ducati goes really well there; so I think that Tom (Sykes), Jonathan (Rea) and Chaz (Davies) are going to be strong, but as long as we are in the fight with them I am going to be pretty happy.”

Last time out in Thailand, Haslam was hindered by a late call to switch from the softer to the harder front tyre compound. However, he is confident this was the correct decision and was still able to bag two second places behind a dominant Jonathan Rea. Haslam’s next task will be learning a different version of MotorLand Aragon, as for 2015 the World Superbike riders will for the first time use the shorter version of the track - with a double left-hander leading back into the start/finish straight as opposed to the hairpin and subsequent right-left flick used previously.

“Obviously it’s a shorter back straight and the Aprilia is good on the long straights, but it’s good as a track layout,” continues the Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils rider. “With the sections of track on which I’ve struggled in the past, it is very much a Moto2-type style. I am thinking that Jordi (Torres, team-mate to Haslam and a Moto2 Grand Prix winner) will be strong there, so hopefully together we will have some good data and we can try and beat those Kawasakis.

“For sure, the next three rounds are the most important of the year for me: Aragon because it is Kawasaki’s test circuit, so it will be tough for us, then Assen and Imola because they are the two tracks on which Jonathan has won more than anywhere else – and the Kawasaki has always gone well at those two circuits. The main area we are working with on the Aprilia is direction change…and that is exactly what both Aragon and Assen are all about. So, the next three rounds are very key.

“If we can be close and challenge at the next three, there are a lot of circuits afterwards which I believe will suit the Aprilia more than they will the Kawasaki.”

After Imola, WorldSBK heads to Donington Park, Portimao and Misano within the space of five weeks across May and June. Action will then resume with Laguna Seca and Sepang ahead of the summer break, before the season ends with Jerez, Magny-Cours and Losail between mid-September and the floodlit finale on 18 October.