Leon Camier insists he will be on the grid for this Sunday's World Superbike Championship opener at Phillip Island despite suffering from glandular fever.
The factory Aprilia rider has been plagued by a mystery illness, which has forced him to sit out sections of an official pre-season test at the Australian circuit this week. Symptoms limited the Kent rider to only 29 laps and doctors subsequently diagnosed Camier with glandular fever on Friday.
The former British Superbike champion, who missed the last three rounds of last season with a broken wrist, is determined to battle through the illness and compete. Camier agreed a new deal with Aprilia in the winter alongside reigning champion Max Biaggi and is aiming to clinch his first win in the series this year.
“It's obviously really frustrating to be starting the season like this, but we've just got to get on with the job and its only one round of thirteen, he said. “I've been feeling really, really ill all week. During the test I was feeling sick and dizzy and like a crash probably wasn't too far away so I decided it wasn't safe for me to carry on riding.
“We had a couple of days off and been able to find out why I've been feeling so ill. So now I've got to focus on the weekend ahead and get myself back 100 per cent. I'll definitely be riding but I'll be taking it steady.”
