Rea, Lowes to test Castrol Honda at Assen

Jonathan Rea will this week ride the Castrol Honda for the first time in more than two months after confirming he will partake in a two-day test at Assen.

The Ulsterman has not ridden a bike since a high-speed accident at Misano in June, Rea breaking a bone in his wrist to necessitate a lengthy recovery period.

However, having signalled his intentions to get back to racing when the World Superbike Championship resumes from its summer break at the Nurburgring, Rea will ease himself into action with a trial around the Dutch circuit he was a winner at earlier this season.

Speaking in India, where Castrol is launching its Power 1 product, Rea is keen to get back to work and test the strength in his wrist.

"It was amazing to be part of the Castrol India re-launch of Power 1 last week," he said. "We took part in a couple of events with Bollywood star John Abraham, which was great, but seeing parts of Mumbai was also incredibly humbling."

"Now it's back to work," added the 24-year-old, who has been out of action since a crash at Misano in Italy in June, "and I've been so excited about getting back on the bike again. My wrist has been feeling really good, but we'll have to see how it stands up to the forces involved."

Rea will be joined on track by team-mate Ruben Xaus, who is also returning to action after injuring himself in an accident at Brno, while Alex Lowes - who deputised for Rea at Brno and Silverstone -, is also getting the chance for more mileage on the CBR1000RR.