Fixi Crescent Suzuki rider Leon Camier made a confident start to this weekend’s World Superbike championship at Monza as the Englishman, and team-mate Jules Cluzel finished inside the top ten in the opening qualifying session. But even with some positive lap times under his belt, the Kent rider is still suffering from a knee injury, and the rider is still not completely happy with his bike.

With this morning’s first free practice session virtually a total wash-out due to heavy showers over the 5,777m Italian circuit, it was imperative that Camier and Cluzel made the most of this afternoon’s dry session. Camier was up as high as fourth in the standings, with only a short time to go in the qualifying, but had to pit with a braking issue. He lost out on a higher placed finish as other riders recorded quicker times in the final few minutes, leaving Camier in ninth place.

“I’m not particularly comfortable with the bike at the moment, there are a few strong points with it and a few things that we can work on to get it better. I think there could be a bit of a split in the group on race day and we will have to work hard to try and be in the main one,” said Camier.

"My knee is very sore today, as it’s the first time I’ve ridden since the stitches were removed and it’s really rubbing. I’ll have some ice treatment on it tonight and hope that it feels a bit stronger in the morning.”