Since the return of World Superbikes to the Nurburgring in 2008, the top slot of the podium in nearly every race has been occupied by just two riders, Noriyuki Haga and Jonathan Rea. Both have won exactly half the number of Superbike races in which they have taken part on the revised German track - 3 out of 6 for Haga, 2 out of 4 for Rea (who made his SBK debut there in 2009, after a season in World Supersport. At the "Ring" Haga has also obtained one of his seven career poles, in 2008, a result that was followed by a brilliant double race win in his final season in the factory Yamaha squad.

Last year the two riders scored a win apiece, with "Nitro-Nori" getting the better of his Northern Ireland rival in race 2, after a crash at Turn 10 eliminated him from the first encounter.

The news is still to be confirmed, but Rea will probably return to the Castrol Honda ranks at the Nurburgring after a nasty crash kept him away from the action at Aragon, Brno and Silverstone. Jonathan completed a two-day test at Assen at the start of the week to check on his form, and the results were encouraging at the end of the test.

Haga has taken part in the last three races but the results have not been up to his previous high standards (sixth and seventh at Aragon, tenth and twelfth at Brno, a double zero at Silverstone). A few mechanical issues and crashes here and there mean that the former factory Ducati rider, now on a PATA Aprilia machine, has not been an easy one, and his only podium of the year was obtained at Misano in race 2 when he finished third.

Like last year, both riders will be lining up for the Nurburgring race out of contention for the title battle and for this reason a good result could help to turn around a season that has not gone as well as expected.