Australia’s rising World Superbike star Mark Aitchison is excited ahead of this weekend’s Imola event in Italy, looking to carry momentum gained in the second half of the 2011 season.

Atcho has been a standout aboard the Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R this season, constantly closing the gap toward consistent top 10 positions in recent rounds.

“This weekend for me can really not come around fast enough,” Aitchison said. “Since the Nurburgring two weeks ago, I have been anticipating the races ahead with a lot of excitement.

“The Imola circuit is very technical and requiresgood bike balance with all the undulation changes. It’s a real rider’s track, so I fully expect the racing to be close and hard fought.

“We didn’t have the best of luck in the final race in Germany, so I am very motivated to turn that around, perform well and have two solid races come Sunday.”

The Imola round marks a home round of sorts for Aitchison’s Pedercini squad, the team owned and operated by the Italian Pedercini family.