HM Plant Honda's Leon Haslam is having a pretty torrid time of it. He is under pressure, of that there is no doubt, and he started the 2008 season with a new team, a new bike and was the championship favourite.
So far, it's not panned out for the youngster. This weekend, at his very-home circuit of Donington Park, he aims to to start his title campaign again - and that will he helped by the lack of Shane Byrne and the Airwaves Ducati - but don't think just because Leon did the double here last year and he does thousands of laps at the Leicestershire track instructing at the Ron Haslam Race School that podiums are a formaility.
Simply lapping a track time after time can do more harm than good. A rider can simply get used to the way he rides round there, sticking to the same lines and braking in the same places. Familiarity, some say, breeds contempt. But Leon isn't contemptuous of Donington. He likes it.
"“It's obviously time to put my recent disappointments behind me and my 'home' circuit of Donington Park is the place to do it," says the 24-year-old. "It's a place I probably know better than anywhere, really, as I instruct on my dad's race school 20 times a year and it's only 20-minutes down the road. I'm looking forward to riding the Honda around there. 
"I took the double there last year – but I think the new CBR1000RR Fireblade will go well around Donington. It’s a very special circuit, so flowing for the majority of the lap and then stop-start at the Melbourne Loop where braking is key. For me it’s time to get some wins on the board."
Team-mate Cal Crutchlow is still walking-wounded after his Oulton crash, but has shown he can run at the front no matter what sort of state he is in. “It’s been a frustrating week! Don’t get me wrong, the right ankle is healing very well, but I’ve had to keep the air-cast on as much as possible and that’s meant I can’t train as much as I normally do," says Crutchlow.
"All I’m allowed really is to sit down on a bike in the gym. Boring! I like to be running around everywhere but I can’t. The swelling has gone now, but it does swell a little after some activity. I’m looking forward to Donington so I can go and do something again! I’m really looking forward to Bladeday2 tomorrow and then getting down to racing. Consistency is still the key thing for the weekend but I’m still aiming for wins – and there’s no reason why I can’t.”