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WorldSBK.com provides some interesting facts and statistics regarding the fourth round of the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship, which takes place this weekend at Imola.

Tom Sykes is the man to beat at Imola: last year he scored the double from pole, recording both fastest laps. In race two he also led flag to flag. Tom adds to these wins two second places, behind Carlos Checa, in the 2012 races. Tom is the only rider in history to have recorded more than one pole here: he counts three so far (2010, his maiden pole; 2012; 2013).

Only one podium out of eight races run here for Sylvain Guintoli: last year in race two, when he finished behind Sykes and Rea, losing the lead of the championship, that will eventually recover in Russia. His best grid start is a second, scored two years ago: last year he started from fourth.

Loris Baz had to race last year with a sore shoulder and also with pain in his ankles for a fall in Superpole. He was ninth in race one and sixth in race two (he took painkillers only in the second one). He was second in 2012 in the Superstock 1000 class behind Sylvain Barrier, less than a second adrift, and tenth in the 2009 race.

Two podium placements for Jonathan Rea at Imola: he won the first race in 2011 and was second last year in race two.

This is one of the two tracks, along with Assen, where Marco Melandri never stood on the podium in his six Superbike races run here. He always scored points at Imola, finishing between fourth and tenth and posting last year his best result: twice fourth. Furthermore, Melandri never started a race at Imola from the front row.

Last year Davide Giugliano scored here in race one a second place, starting from third on the grid. That was the only time he finished a Superbike race in Imola. In 2006 Giugliano won the Superstock 600 race ahead of Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Barrier.

The best results at Imola for Chaz Davies came last year, when he was sixth in race one and fifth in race two. In 2011 he was leading the World Supersport race before suffering an engine failure, whilst he was fourth and third in 2009 and 2010, again in WSS.

Following an engine failure suffered by his former teammate Guintoli, Eugene Laverty claimed last year in Race 1 his only podium finish so far at Imola.

Out of twelve races contested on this track, Leon Haslam climbed on the podium only in 2012 with BMW, as he was third in both races. Last year he was tenth and ninth. Bad memories from 2010, when in race one he was second up to the last lap, then he made a mistake and finished fifth. In race two the engine on his Suzuki failed, giving the world title to Max Biaggi.

The only international race for Alex Lowes at Imola dates back 2009, when he was fifteenth in grid and eleventh in the Superstock 1000 event for MV Agusta.

Toni Elias races for the first time at Imola: MotoGP championship ran here from 1996 to 1999 and Toni began his full-time international career only the following year, on the 125 cc class.

in 2012  Niccolò Canepa was tenth in race one and fell in race two while fighting for fifth. The Italian rider has three encounters under his belt in the Superstock 1000 class (third in 2011 and second behind Sylvain Barrier last year) and a Supersport race back in 2005.

David Salom scored his best result at Imola in his fourth race here in 2012 (race 2), when he was seventeenth. He also contested two WSS races there, with a best result of fifth in 2011.

Luca Scassa scored at Imola in 2010 his best Superbike grid start: fourth behind Tom Sykes, Jakub Smrz and Leon Haslam. In the races he was thirteenth and tenth. In the Supersport championship he was sixth last year, whilst in 2011 he started the race from second place before an engine failure ruled him out of contention. In 2004 he scored in Imola his maiden Superstock 1000 podium.

Leon Camier was able to climb on the podium in the second 2011 race, behind Carlos Checa and Noriyuki Haga.

Ten Supersport races for Fabien Foret at Imola: the Frenchman was able to win three: 2001, 2011 and 2012. THe is the most successful Supersrport rider on this track, one win ahead of Karl Muggeridge and Kenan Sofuoglu.

Two Superstock 1000 races for Claudio Corti at Imola. The Italian was fourth in 2006 and second three years later, whilst he claimed fifth place in the STK600 encounter back in 2005.

Three Superstock 1000 races for Jeremy Guarnoni at Imola: his best result came last year, with a seventh in grid and a sixth in the race. He was fifth and sixth also in the 2009 and 2010 Superstock 600 races.

Michel Fabrizio lived here a special weekend in 2009, when he scored his only Superbike pole, was third in race one and won race two ahead of Noriyuki Haga and Marco Simoncelli.

Ayrton Badovini always scored points in his six Superbike races in Imola, posting his best results last year, when he was eighth in race one and tenth in race two: in both occasions he was the best placed Ducati rider at the flag. He won from pole the Superstock 1000 race in 2010, securing also the fastest race lap. He won from pole also the year before, but was disqualified for a technical infringement (illegal fasteners).