Nori Haga hopes to wipe away painful memories of the Miller Motorsport Park by building on his lead in the Superbike World Championship.

The Ducati Xerox rider suffered a broken collarbone at the Salt Lake City venue last season but still managed sixth place in the second race.

Following his switch from Yamaha to Ducati the Japanese rider has dominated the current championship which reaches its halfway stage in the United States.

With Haga and team-mate Michel Fabrizio currently occupying the top two positions in the championship standings things are looking good for the Italian manufacturer.

But Haga will not be taking anything for granted as he bids to build on his championship points lead.

He said: "I didn't have a good time at Miller last year, and it was very painful to ride with a broken collarbone but I needed to fight for more points so I went ahead with the races.

"I hope to have a better time of it there this year and I'm looking forward to riding my 1198 at Salt Lake."

Haga expects Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies to do well in front of his home fans but will not make it easy for the American.

He said: "Although Ben will surely be the favourite to win at his home track, I intend to be up there fighting with him for the victory."

Fabrizio, who finished third in both races at Miller last season, will be looking for a good showing on a circuit which suits his riding style.

He said: "I really got on well at this track, which was new for us all last year.

"Although I didn't know the place, I went better there than at many of the other circuits last season, finishing third in both races, it seemed to be something of a lucky track for me.

"Now that I'm second in the championship, I plan to consolidate that position at Salt Lake by taking the results I scored here last year and improving on them this year."