Vermeulen targets Assen return

Following the serious knee injuries sustained at Phillip Island in March, factory Kawasaki rider Chris Vermeulen hopes to make his racing return in round four of the WSB championship at Assen next weekend.

Vermeulen was forced to miss the Portimao and Valencia races but has now undergone successful keyhole surgery on his knee and with extensive physiotherapy believes he will be in a position to ride.

“My knee is improving every day since I had keyhole surgery over a week ago and I have a good feeling in most of its range.

“The difficult part now is getting enough bend but also strength and stability in my knee to race at Assen because I don’t want to turn up to just ride around.

“I am getting physiotherapy every day and it’s still a week until I need to be on the bike so I am optimistic that in that time it will have improved even more by then.

“I really enjoy racing at Assen and have had successful results there in both Superbikes and in MotoGP, I also get a lot of support there because of my Dutch heritage.

“I therefore hope that I can put on a good show and be fit enough to compete and join the team once again.”