Camier anticipates ‘tough’ Imola round for Honda

Leon Camier has predicted a ‘challenging’ weekend ahead for the Moriwaki Althea Honda outfit as the team continues work on bringing the CBR1000RR Fireblade up to performance.

The Japanese manufacturer – which switched from long-time partners Ten Kate Racing to Althea Racing over the winter – have been on the back foot for 2019 thus far as it focuses on building foundations for a more successful future.

Having managed just a single top ten finish from the opening four events, Camier is keeping expectations modest for this weekend’s fifth event at Imola, the home round for Althea Racing.

“I love Imola, it’s a really good track and I enjoy riding there. Having said that, I expect it to be tough to be honest. The layout is very physical and there are a lot of details we need to get right in terms of the bike’s setup. I think it will be a challenging weekend for us, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

“Hopefully the weather will be warmer than Assen and allow us to take advantage of every session to prepare for the races. We’ll try our best and will see what happens.”

Despite his considerable experience, Ryuichi Kiyonari will be competing at Imola for only the second time in his career.

“Imola is a track with a great racing tradition. It’s very different from Assen, with some ups and downs and technical sections with different corners, some tight and some fast.

“Hopefully the weather will be very different from the last round! I raced in Imola only once in the past, in 2009, and I’m happy to head back there now. It’s the team’s home race after all, so it’s important for us.”