Cortese back to ’90 per cent’ fitness for Imola

Sandro Cortese says his injured shoulder is almost back to full strength as he prepares for round five of the 2019 World Superbike Championship at Imola.

The German rider suffered the injury in a high-speed crash during qualifying at Assen, but after soldiering on with the ailment on race day in the Netherlands, Cortese has utilised the longer break between races to get back to strength.

Describing himself as ’90 per cent’ fit, the GRT Yamaha rider is keen to get back to the form that has seen him record seven top eight results this season.

"I can't wait to get back to racing at Imola. It's been a long break, but that's been to my advantage because it allowed me time to recover from the big crash in Assen.

“At the moment I'd say my shoulder is at about 90% but I'm working a lot on my recovery with physiotherapy and the strength is coming back. I'm confident that, come FP1 on the Friday, the shoulder won't be a problem and I'm looking forward to getting back to work in Imola."