The Loket circuit deep in the west of the Czech Republic has been something of a stronghold for the current riders in factory Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 colours and the site - which celebrates 40 years of existence in 2013 - will host the 14th round of 17 in the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend.

Clement Desalle is presently second in the MX1 standings on his potent RM-Z450 and has enjoyed a synergy with the tight, slippery and hilly curves. The Belgian first tasted victory in 2009 and then again in 2011 and has not finished off the podium in four years. Desalle comes to the location close to the scenic Spa town of Karlovy Vary having secured his 10th podium last Sunday at the Lausitzring in Germany and after celebrating his third moto victory of the season in arguably his best performance of 2013.

For Strijbos, Loket also holds special resonance. "Yeah, it was that Grand Prix where I took my first win on the RM-Z450 so it was a special one for me and also for Suzuki as it was also the first for the motorcycle," said the Belgian of his 2005 achievement. "Loket is old-school. It's slippery with that loose soil on the top and is also narrow in places and tough to pass. The track is pretty easy to be honest and once you get a good rhythm then it is easy to be consistent."

Strijbos also enjoyed a clean sweep on the factory Suzuki in 2007. "Starts are important," he continues. "You need to get away with the front group because everyone hits the same speed and if you are far behind the first three or four then it's tricky to make that time back. The race can be over before you've had the chance to try and gain more than a couple of positions. We've dialled-in in our starts in the last couple of rounds so we should be good."

Loket has apparently undergone some renovations for the 2013 edition of the Grand Prix to accommodate the new Skybox and could see some alterations to what used to be the longest and fastest start-straight on the calendar. The layout itself is quick and hard-pack meaning the technical level of the course is not so high and the lap-times are tight.

The continued hot temperatures across Europe are set to remain in place for the weekend according to the forecast with the chance of warm showers and storms on Sunday.

MX1 World Championship Standings (after 13 of 17 rounds): 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 611 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 503 p.; 3. Ken de Dycker (BEL, KTM), 479 p.; 4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Kawasaki), 465 p.; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 397 p.; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), 375 p.; 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), 327 p.; 8. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Honda), 314 p.; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), 230 p.; 10. David Philippaerts (ITA, Honda), 219 p.