Chris Vermeulen heads home after abandoning Superbike testing

Chris Vermeulen is still in a race to be fully fit for the opening round of the 2011 World Superbike Championship with his team sending the Queenslander home for a more restful recovery of his injured knee.

Having ridden on the first day of official Kawasaki Racing Team development tests at Sepang on Monday, Kawasaki say Vermeulen will now continue his recovery towards full race fitness in Australia.

The team saying the Queenslander will therefore be able to restart his intense physiotherapy and exercise regime to allow him to recover full flex in his right knee joint, before taking his all-new Ninja ZX-10R on track again. Vermeulen himself had said that the knee acted up a bit during the test.

The Sepang sessions continue in a positive direction for KRT, with Chris's team-mates Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz carrying on as scheduled until the final day, Friday January 14. Sykes and Lascorz have been working hard again today after taking a scheduled rest day on Wednesday, setting good lap times and trying out several different set-up options on the impressive new Ninja ZX-10R.

To make sure Chris is ready for the final official pre-season tests at Phillip Island on February 21 and 22, shortly before the first race on Sunday February 27, he will not come back to Europe for the official IMS tests at the end of January in Portimao.

Team Manager Paul Risbridger stated, "Chris rode on day one of the Sepang tests and was very impressed with the performance of the new bike. He has made great progress with his knee recently, and his recovery is well on schedule. After day one we all decided that he did not need to run on track any more at this stage and it was better for him to go home and carry on with his rehabilitation.

"We also came to a consensus that there was no point in him coming all the way back to Europe for the Portimao tests, as it would just interrupt his overall recovery. Riding the bike is not assisting his recuperation at this stage, so Chris will carry on with his very effective programme of physiotherapy and exercise so that he is ready when it matters most, at the start of the new season."