Honda WorldSBK’s Xavi Vierge has a weekend of unknowns ahead of him having missed the chance to test at Donington Park last month.

Four weekend’s off since Misano has allowed the Spaniard to focus on recovery after sustaining hand fractures in the final Italian battle, with the WorldSBK medical team passing him fit to compete on Thursday. But with no prior knowledge of the demanding British circuit, round five will be learning curve for Vierge who secured a fourth place finish in Sunday morning’s Superpole race last time out.

“I’m quite happy because I’m feeling better than I expected following my injury,” Vierge confirmed. “The surgery went very well, and I was soon able to get training and cycling again and have worked hard with my physio.

“I’m looking forward to Donington and have been lucky to have this break between rounds four and five to work on my recovery. It was a pity I couldn’t take part in the recent test, so I’ll have the added job of learning the track but at least I was able to join the team in the garage during the Misano test, where I worked with my data technician, analysing all the data that was collected at Donington.

“I won’t know exactly how I am until I get back on the bike of course, but on paper it looks like a very nice layout that can suit my riding style, so hopefully I will be fully fit and able to enjoy it right from first practice.”