The 29-year-old Australian should be getting used to life atop the AMA Superbike standings as he's won the championship two years in a row. If Mladin's consistency continues like the last two seasons, he could be poised to make it three-in-a-row. 

Mladin is coming off a victory in the opening round of the 2001 series in Daytona in March. But during the two-month break between rounds, Mladin suffered a broken left ankle April 7 while training on a motocross bike in Australia. Although, physically he won't be 100 percent coming into Sears Point, Mat feels confident he'll be ready to ride and be in contention for the win. 

Mladin isn't the only rider nursing injuries coming into Sears Point. In fact, it seems to be the norm among the top-riders rather than the exception. 

Honda's Nicky Hayden had surgery on his wrist in March and just recently had the cast removed.

Suzuki's Aaron Yates broke bones in his foot in a Daytona crash, but still managed to be the fastest rider in recent test sessions. 

Harley-Davidson's Pascal Picotte suffered minor undisclosed injuries in a snowmobile accident in Quebec, Canada in early April forcing him to miss a test session. 

Kawasaki's Doug Chandler was badly bruised after he suffered a hard crash at Daytona, although he is expected to fully recover in time for Sears Point. 

This year marks a return to Sears Point after the 2000 event was cancelled due to heavy rain and poor track drainage. During the off-season new drainage tile was installed under the problem of the track to prevent water seepage. 

Mladin won the 1999 Sears Point race over Doug Chandler and Pascal Picotte, but Honda's Miguel Duhamel still holds the record for the most Sears Point Superbike wins with four. Duhamel remains among the list of top-riders who are totally healthy coming into this race. 

The only other former Sears Point Superbike winner in this year's field is Aaron Yates. Yates is coming off a very successful Superbike testing session at Road Atlanta and, with Mladin's injury, he could be considered the favourite to win this year.