Editor

Max Neukirchner has had a few ups and downs in his WSB career, but 2009 was a true watershed for him, as his first real full factory opportunity was ended by serious injury - twice. Now signed with the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team, Neukirchner is finding his way back to full fitness and full pace, particularly after his most recent testing experience in Spain last week.
Said Max of the lingering effects of his injuries, "My training at home is almost normal, the only thing at the moment I that I cannot run. So instead I make a lot of cycling and swimming. On the bike I have no pain in my foot, but sometimes when I wake up in the morning there is some pain. My right foot was very destroyed and the doctor said that it maybe needs one and a half years more to build back up again. I have no surgical metal left in the foot, just a rod in my thigh, but that will come out next winter."


Psychologically, recovering from serious injuries at first Monza and then in Imola testing have been two very large bumps in the road for Max, but as his fitness and his pace have improved, sometimes daily each time he rides his new Honda machinery, and he gets closer to full competitiveness.


"Overall I am really happy to be back again," said Max. "At the moment it is not easy. On the first day of the tests I was a little bit - not angry - but frustrated. The times were OK but I wanted more, I want more every day. At the moment it is not possible and I need more experience with the bike and team. But I do not lose any motivation. Sometimes it is not easy to always have good motivation, but it is coming back. Sometimes in the morning I might lose some motivation, then I have a beer in the evening and then next morning my motivation is better! But I think that is normal life. If you had a regular job in a company then sometimes you have bad motivation one day, then come back to work the next day even stronger than before. It is important also that we can have more testing and I think that maybe we can have one more test before the next ones in Portimao. Maybe; I hope."



Source: World Superbike

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