Camier targets Phillip Island return from “very complicated” injury

Leon Camier is hopeful of returning to action in time for the 2020 World Superbike championship opener at Phillip Island as he gives an update on his shoulder injury which has ruled him out of the majority of winter testing.

After signing for Barni Ducati, the British rider was eager to find a fresh start after an injury-plagued couple of seasons but in a fall during a test at Aragon last November he suffered two torn tendons which required surgery over the winter.

Camier targets Phillip Island return from “very complicated” injury

Leon Camier is hopeful of returning to action in time for the 2020 World Superbike championship opener at Phillip Island as he gives an update on his shoulder injury which has ruled him out of the majority of winter testing.

After signing for Barni Ducati, the British rider was eager to find a fresh start after an injury-plagued couple of seasons but in a fall during a test at Aragon last November he suffered two torn tendons which required surgery over the winter.

Camier had been targeting a comeback at the two-day Portimao test, with Sandro Cortese filling in at last week’s Jerez test for Barni Ducati, but has been forced out of the final European pre-season test as he continues his shoulder rehabilitation with the German continuing to stand-in.

“The recovery is going good, a shoulder injury is never straightforward as it is the most complex joint in the body,” Camier told WorldSBK.com. “It is very complicated and easy to have little issues ongoing.

“So far, so good; the doctor is really happy with the recovery, but I still have quite a bit of pain in the joint and the more exercise I do with it, the more inflammation there is and the more pain there is.

“The goal is to remain calm and let it heal naturally, although I am doing a lot of physio with it, so it heals up faster.”

Consequently, Camier is now focusing on being fit for the 2020 opener in Australia at the end of February.

“The goal is to ride and hopefully, I will be as physically strong as possible,” he said. “I don’t expect to be 100% by then, but hopefully good enough to race and be competitive. The important thing is to stay calm, obviously I will have no time on the bike before the first race, but I need to stay calm.”

Camier also accepts with limited testing time with Barni Ducati this winter it is likely to take him more time to get up to speed with the V4 R Panigale but remains unflustered by the challenge.

“I feel this bike and team have a lot of potential,” he said. “From what I understand, it is quite a tricky bike to ride, it’s not a simple, straightforward situation. I just need to get on the bike and then understand where we are.”

Camier has replaced Michael Ruben Rinaldi as Barni Ducati’s sole World Superbike rider for 2020. The official pre-season test at Phillip Island takes place on February 24-25 before the opening round on February 28-March 1.

The British rider endured a nightmare 2019 suffering separate knee and shoulder injuries in clashes which weren’t of his own making and he ended up missing six rounds through injury.

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