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Vermeulen to Make WSBK Return at Donington Park

Chris Vermeulen will not be able to race in front of his home fans for the 2011 World Superbike opener at Phillip Island, but the Australian hinted that his return to the championship will not be awaited for much longer.

Having suffered a knee injury in the very same race a year back, Vermeulen has had a year to forget in 2010, as he spent the majority of the season trying to recover from the accident. Since he hasn't raced at professional level for more than 8 months now, the Kawasaki rider already confirmed that he'll watch the WSBK opener from the sidelines in order to fully focus on his knee recovery.

However, writing on his personal blog for Motocycling Australia, the former MotoGP rider hinted that he will return to racing from as early as Round 2 of the 2011 season, scheduled to take place at Donington Park.

I had my heart set on racing at Phillip Island in front of a big home crowd and all of my friends and family,” admitted Vermeulen. “Unfortunately my knee wasn't quite right, but to know that I will be closer to 100 per cent fit for the round at Donington gives me great confidence, so when I get back on my Kawasaki I will be competitive from the first lap.”

The list time Vermeulen tried to climb on the saddle of his Kawasaki ZX-10R was during the pre-season group test in Sepang, when he only lapped the Malaysian circuit for a day. It was his first outing following the knee operation he'd sustained in July 2010, following his season opening injury that year.
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