NEIL Hodgson is out to secure his fifth consecutive podium finish when the World Superbike season resumes at Oschersleben today.

But the Burnley rider will have to compete with another rider at the peak of his form.

Ducati man Ben Bostrom has won the last five races and another race double would equal the record of seven straight wins set by Doug Polen in 1991.

Hodgson, however, is at a disadvantage over the rest of the field this weekend in Germany.

This is another track that his GSE Ducati team is encountering for the first time but, unlike at previous new circuits, Hodgson himself has never performed here.

And, with the rest of the circuit having visited Oschersleben for the first time last year when Colin Edwards won both races, Hodgson knows that he is already playing catch-up.

The 27-year-old said: "It's not a massive disadvantage but it is a slight one.

"But I'm pretty good at learning new tracks and, by Sunday, it will hopefully have levelled off.

"I've also been studying it on video and I like what I see. The track appears to be technical and slightly undulating. It will certainly give me something to think about on the first day of qualifying.

"And the last new track we visited was Lausitzring and I ended up on the podium there, so I'd obviously be happy with a similar result!"

Hodgson still has a chance of finishing in the top three - but knows he will need a stunning set of results from the final three rounds to achieve that goal.

"I'm really pleased with the run of form that I've enjoyed over the past five rounds of the championship. I feel that I've been riding well and the results have finally come my way.

"I can't see any reason why that can't continue, although with the battle for the top five places hotting up, it's certainly going to be a tough weekend.

"But the team also say they have found some more power - as much as four brake horsepower.

"Edwards won both races last year so he'll be the man to beat as he'll obviously go there with the same package."

Hodgson's displays, however, have made him hot property with Honda poised to pounce should GSE decide not to fund the team for next year - although he is trying to blank such distractions from his mind.

He added: "There has been some speculation in the press about my plans for next year, but I'm not even giving that a second thought.

"I am completely focused on the job in hand and working with GSE Racing to get the results we need to finish the year on a high. I'm really enjoying my racing at the moment and that says a lot for the rest of the team and the progress we have made."

World Superbike championship points after 10 of 13 rounds: 1 Bayliss 303, 2 Edwards 250, 3 Bostrom 247, 4 Corser 226, 5 Hodgson 217, 6 Chili 179, 7 Yanagawa 132, 8 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Kawasaki) 122, 9 Tady Okada, Japan (Castrol Honda) 118, 10 Xaus 106.