South Australian rising star Arthur Sissis should be heading to the final round of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at Misano this coming weekend already crowned as 2011 champion, but unfortunately that’s not the case.

A mechanical problem and two crashes in the previous four races leave him trailing Lorenzo Baldassarri by six points going into the last race at the Grand Prix of San Marino.

Italian Baldassarri, who only turned 15 at the beginning of August, has avoided errors and bad luck but knows that victory is far from assured as Sissis, the 16-year-old Australian, is still an extremely strong threat.

There is no way that Baldassarri can count on finishing second to Sissis and thus claiming the title. Earlier in the year it looked like the pair were standing above the others as the strongest riders but in the last few races they have been caught and any one of 10 or 12 could win the final round.

Indeed there have already been seven different winners this season and 16 of the 24 in the field have finished on the podium at some time during the year.

Sissis is likely to be less subtle and just go out determined to win, letting things unfold behind him as they may. Victory for Sissis not assured of course and Baldassarri will have his eye on a home win.