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This will be the last event before the two-month summer break. Laguna Seca is a track that doesn't need much in the way of an introduction, with its undulation and famous corkscrew that, over the years, has provided us with so many thrilling passes, on the limit and perhaps even over it.
Over the coming weekend the track will also be painted blue, in that Italy will achieve the season record in terms of number of participants. With confirmations, returns and debuts, we'll definitely be kept entertained. Davide Giugliano will want to make up for the bad accident he had last year in Race 2, which put a premature end to his season. The podium achieved at Misano will have surely served as a confidence boost for the Ducati rider, as he puts what happened last year behind him.
The same goes for Niccolò Canepa, who will take to the track this year in Yamaha colours, called upon to substitute for injured Sylvain Guintoli. He too has something to prove at the Californian track, but the seventh and ninth place finish scored at Misano should not be underestimated.
As well as returns, including that of Gianluca Vizziello, there are also the first-timers, and they say you never forget the first time. We hope that's the case, for Lorenzo Savadori and his Aprilia, ready to discover the Monterey track on Friday, as quickly as possible. This is what the talented rider had to say during the Misano test. The same will apply to Fabio Menghi.
But that's not all, because Raffaele De Rosa, riding the BMW in place of injured Reiterberger will also join the fight. The Superbike is a dream come true for him, and getting to ride it in California can only be a sign...
Also present will be Alex De Angelis, back in the States after a three-year absence. Last at the track in 2013, in MotoGP, Alex had to settle for eleventh place on his Ducati come race day. He missed out on the top ten that day by just three tenths to Barbera, in a race won by Marc Marquez, who passed Rossi through the corkscrew. His ID card may have the Aprilia rider down as a San Marino resident but we like to consider him one of our own.
