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At a certain point in any season, there comes a time when the points start to matter. Not in terms of a true favourite or a mathematical impossibility, rather a sense of who has momentum and who is struggling to find traction. Every rider will have an unlucky race or make the odd mistake, and Rounds such as Assen with weather complications can leave some suffering more than others. In WorldSSP after Assen, key pre-season title favourites Jules Cluzel and especially, PJ Jacobsen, find themselves with an unexpected deficit.

Cluzel knows the pressure of fighting to keep up from behind, having chased Sofuoglu a number of times in his quest to be crowned World Supersport Champion. With the added incentive of knowing there are still traces of injuries from his 2015 crash in Jerez that he hasn't yet lost, and having had his determination tested and verified in recovery, the French MV Agusta rider will not give up and will do everything in Imola to get back to his Thai form from Buriram this year.

PJ Jacobsen had a crescendo of a 2015, coming home second in the title after gaining momentum. It's a situation that is slowly becoming a reality in 2016 as the American has shown great pace but suffered big losses of points. In Aragon the Honda rider pushed a little too far fighting for the lead, before in Assen he failed to see a red flag before crashing in increasingly difficult conditions, repeating the feat after the restart. 

Kenan Sofuoglu, after a crash with a tyre problem in Phillip Island, has shown the most consistency since. The reigning Champion keeps raking in the front row starts and big hauls of points, cutting the lead to his teammate Randy Krummenacher as his title defence starts to take shape.

Krummenacher, however, has not had to gamble as yet. The Swiss rider leads the standings and has done since Round 1, when he took victory in his first ever race in WorldSSP. The gap to Sofuoglu may be getting smaller, but the Puccetti rider on the other side of the garage is a constant force to be reckoned with at the head of the race. Knowing he needs consistency rather than a gamble, he may yet have more up his sleeve.

Imola is a track known to all the key players of the season so far, except the Swiss rookie. It's a track that rewards bravery and trust, and a track that seems sculpted rather than designed. To stop himself losing more points, Krummenacher will need to tame the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari as soon as possible.

Kyle Smith and Gino Rea, the winner and P2 in Assen respectively, used their great haul of points to move up in the Championship, with Smith especially moving up above both Cluzel and Jacobsen. The Brit, who had a strong 2015 in which he also took a victory, will want to keep that going in Imola and see if he can get amongst the top echelons of the Championship once again.

As the paddock prepares for the spectacular track, who will feel the pressure most? The lights will go out at 11:20am local time (GMT +2), to see who comes out on top.