Team Teka Suzuki WMX1 rider Steve Ramon will enter the fifth round of the FIM MX1 World Motocross Championship at Mantova in Italy this weekend looking to close the points gap on series leader David Philippaerts.
Ramon - who is the reigning MX1 World Champion and currently sits in second place in the 2008 series - proved at round four in Sevlievo, Bulgaria that his race pace is better than the current championship leader, but poor starts have been making it difficult for him to beat the Italian rider in a straight-up race.
Placing fifth at the GP of Italy in 2007, Ramon will be searching for a podium position at this weekend's race on his factory RM-Z450 as the jump-filled Mantova circuit is one he likes to ride.
"I enjoy racing at the Mantova track," said Ramon. "Mantova has a lot of jumps and is not so fast - it's more technical and it gets rougher throughout the day. I feel good on the bike at the moment and I'm riding well and I'm in good shape. The only thing I need is to have better starts than I've been getting recently - if I get those I know I can do well."
Ramon's team-mate Ken De Dycker currently sits fifth in the MX1 series standings but could quite easily improve on his position in the championship as he's only two points behind British rider Billy MacKenzie. He's done well at Mantova in the past - he finished second in the second moto at the Italian GP last year - and comes into the fifth round of the World Championship feeling motivated to return to the form he showed earlier in the season when he led the MX1 series after strong rides in Holland and Spain.
"Of course I'm looking to improve my results," said De Dycker on the subject of his current form. "The tracks that are coming up in the series will definitely suit me more than Agueda and Sevlievo did. Last year was the first time that I rode at Mantova and I really liked it a lot. I ride very well there and finished second in the second moto last year. It's very technical with a lot of jumps, bumps and ruts, which means there are a lot of lines to choose from and that's much better for me."
The weather forecast for this weekend's race is for rain but that shouldn't create any problems for either Ramon or De Dycker who have both excelled in soft conditions so far this season. The surface of the Mantova circuit is a 70/30 sand-soil mix, which should also suit the Belgian Suzuki stars well.
