For Haslam his deepest desire is to take podium finishes before the end of the season. Currently tenth in the championship Leon is only four points from eighth place and 26 points from sixth place, with six points scoring races left to run. His Suzuka 8 Hours winning ride, for the second season in succession, has boosted his confidence for the remaining races.
"It seems like an age since we went to Laguna for the last round, even though I have had the Suzuka 8-Hour race in between." Haslam stated. "I am going into Jerez thinking positively, especially after Suzuka. We have three rounds to go to maximise what we can out of the Honda.
"In the last test we had at Jerez I did some pretty good lap times and I was a bit quicker than I had been before. We have had a lot of bad luck in SBK this year but I am looking forward to the next races to try to get the results we deserve. We should be getting on the podiums and that is where I am aiming to be."
The summer break saw the calendar in the SBK class go through some modifications. The planned South African round at Phakisa was cancelled but the season finale in Qatar, on 2 November, has now been confirmed. The season will now consist of 12 rounds, not the planned 14.
Jerez was used for FIM Superbike World Championship racing last season, for the first time since 1990. The 4.423km circuit in the extreme south west of Spain is already a favourite for many riders and is a popular test venue.
After the Jerez weekend there is another long wait for the next round, with Magny-Cours hosting a full race weekend between 3 and 5 October.
Top Image: Jonathan Rea heads into the last part of the 2014 WSBK Championship 3rd in the championship standings
Credit: Honda Racing
