The Pata Yamaha team has confirmed that Jonathan Rea will make his way back from injury to participate in this weekend’s World Superbike round in Aragon in Spain.

The Pata Yamaha team has confirmed that Jonathan Rea will make his way back from injury to participate in this weekend’s World Superbike round in Aragon in Spain.

After undergoing surgery to heal an injury to his right thumb sustained in race one of the French round at Magny-Cours on September 8, the 36-year-old was forced to miss the Italian round.

Since then, he has been receiving physiotherapy and oxygen treatment sessions in a hyperbaric chamber to aid with his recovery.

Rea stated, “Even though I’m still working with my physiotherapist to increase the mobility in my thumb, I feel ready to return, even though I’m not quite healed.”

“The main problem was the injury to the tendon, which my French surgeon fixed, and the skin transplant on the top of the thumb is mending rather nicely.

“It’s step-by-step, it was always my target to be back for Aragon, but I’m disappointed to have missed Cremona because it was the first race I’ve missed through injury since 2013.”

Before the new season began, the rider from Northern Ireland made the transition from Kawasaki to Yamaha, and he has had a challenging season.

With 86 points, he is now ranked 12th in the overall standings and has only finished on the podium once, in the sprint race at the UK round at Donington in July.