Leon Camier forced out of WorldSBK opener

Leon Camier has been forced to withdraw from the opening round of the 2020 WorldSBK Championship after failing to make sufficient recovery from his troublesome shoulder injury.

The Briton was already coming into weekend on the back foot after missing a significant portion of the pre-season testing period after undergoing surgery on his shoulder over the Christmas period.

However, despite making it to Australia with the intention of making his debut with the Barni Ducati WorldSBK team, Camier’s condition presented further problems that necessitate a withdrawal altogether.

“I'm really disappointed not to be able to race and I want to apologize all the team. I did everything I can to be ready for this weekend but it was not enough. I keep working to be strong in the next race but it's an evaluation process we made weekly week. It was an hard decision, but for now we decided not to race it was the best.”

A particular disappointment for the Italian outfit having made the effort of getting out to Australia, team manager Marco Barnabo says the priority is for Camier to get back to full fitness.

“This morning Leon was still suffering from yesterday and try to race in this condition it was too dangerous. Of course we are very sorry because to be here it was a big effort for us; when Leon back on track in Portimao I was confident he could ride here. Unfortunately the situation is worst than we expected and we decided to avoid any risks letting Leon to recover well for the next race.”