Alstare Suzuki will have new paintwork this weekend. It's a one-off sponsorship deal with Globasol (not to be confused with the pile cream) and, apparently, is to give WSB spectators something new to look at.

Jason Pridmore is to replace Luca Morelli in the Alto Evolution Honda squad, probably for the rest of the season. Good.

AMA riders, who are also at Miller this weekend, have given some last-minute surface repairs the thumbs up. Some cars had pulled up the new surface on the western side of the track. Jordan Suzuki's Geoff May said his sliders now make a nice noise. So that's all right then.

Kenan Sofuoglu is back with the Ten Kate Honda team. He missed the Monza round after his brother was tragically killed while racing.

Bosses at Miller have gone to great lengths to point out that there will be racing this weekend whether it rains or not. “Superbike riders are accustomed to racing in the rain,” said Miller Motorsports Park CEO/General Manager Alan Wilson, “and our track is designed to accommodate them. Besides, when you’re banging handlebars at 190 mph, adding in the rain just makes it all the more exciting!” So now you know.

Miller Motorsports Park is the sixth new track to form part of the World Superbike circus from 2001 onwards. The first track of the new millennium was the Eurospeedway Lausitz, on 10th of June, 2001, followed the same year by the Italian track of Imola. The following year WSBK arrived at Silverstone, the historical site of the first Formula 1 race ever held. In 2005 Superbike travelled to Qatar for the first time at the Losail track and in 2007 the new venue was Vallelunga, in Italy.