Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) came away from the Brands Hatch round with a cracked rib and a bruised lower back but, more importantly, with his championship lead over Colin Edwards (Honda) still intact and the 33-year-old Australian goes into this weekend's round 39 points ahead of his Texan rival. "I haven't been on the bike for a month so I'm sure I'll be a bit rusty, but I feel perfect, fitter than ever" commented Troy. "It was good to have a month off, I've been training and now I just want to get back on the bike. Last year I had a DNF here, but these things happen occasionally and I'm sure it will turn out different this year. The points difference between me and Colin is not that much and I really want to come out here with more points than what I've got now. It's the same as every other weekend, I'm going to do everything I can to finish in front of Colin in both races and take whatever points I can get, but staying ahead of Colin is the most important thing".

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) goes into the final three races knowing that last year his impressive run of two wins and four fourth places started here. "Last year I had two good races at Oschersleben, winning one and finishing second in the other, so I hope it will go the same again this year" declared Ruben. "The track is good for the Ducatis, the bike should work well and the tyres are perfect here. I just arrived here with the same mentality as every race, try to do well or win, and get as many points as possible to be in the top three at the end of the championship. Everyone in the team came back from their holidays really fired up, because we know from last year that the next three races are going to be good and so we're really confident for some good results".

Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was involved in a boating accident in Sardinia in August with his brother Eric and friend Kat, but is determined to put the last couple of weeks out of his mind this weekend. "It's been a bit of a tough vacation, but through it all I managed to stay in pretty good shape and it's exciting to be back on the bike. Last year we were riding well here, I like this little track, it's good for dog-fights with other riders. I'll be aiming for third place in the championship for sure, but mainly to have a good time on the bike and if everything is working well, then I'm going to finish off the season with some positive results. I just plan to go out there and have fun riding, and if I do that then it'll be a good end to the season".

The Oschersleben circuit, half-way along the Hanover to Berlin motorway, was opened in July 1997 and is the third permanent race-track to be built in Germany after Nurburgring and Hockenheim. The circuit has hosted numerous international events including 24 Hrs World Endurance, World Superbike, FIA-GT World Cup, Super Touring and Formula 3000, and the complex also hosts outdoor festivals and concerts. World Superbike came here for the first time in 2000, and while facilities are top-class, the circuit itself has numerous constant-radius curves and few places to overtake.