The only rider outside the ‘big four’ to win a race last year was Ruben Xaus, a man with considerable experience in SBK - 124 races and 33 podium finishes. His Valencia race win came the hard way in 2007 on a privateer Ducati, with less power than most of the fours. This year he feels it will be a different matter, and even if there are more riders on competitive bikes than last season, he has good reason to be in combative mood before the racing starts for real in a couple of weeks’ time.

“We are starting with the same material as the factory bikes in 2008,” affirms the Catalan rider. “We have a good thing going this year but of course it could be after a few races that Ducati’s factory team could have an advantage on their bikes and we may have to wait until later in the season to get the same things. So, we are happy to use some different material, like the Akrapovic exhaust system and Elf fuel, so that we can make some difference between us and the Xerox bikes.”

Xaus has already been quick in testing, lending weight to his assertion that “Right now, basically the bikes are the same, and even if there is a small difference, we don’t feel it, because the base is already good. The problem last year was that I had 187 horsepower, and maybe Troy Bayliss had five more than me - because they always have fresh material - but even he was tight.”

Xaus also relishes the prospect of Max Biaggi joining his team, seeing no downside to having such a quick team-mate. “Last year, being in a team on my own, trying out hard tyres, soft tyres, sprockets, mapping, it was a lot of work - it was so hard last year. So it is good having Max Biaggi in the team. It is a high level, it gives me a lot of motivation, and I believe much more in everything right now.”