Leon Camier could be facing time on the sidelines after being caught up in an unfortunate accident during Superpole for the fifth World Superbike Championship round at Imola.

The Moriwaki Althea Honda rider was following Sandro Cortese in qualifying when the Yamaha man high-sided in front of him, leaving Camier no time to avoid striking the R1 ahead of him.

Coming down hard on his shoulder, medical teams at the circuit immediately assessed Camier and declared him unfit for today’s first race, but further checks in hospital reveal ligament damage that will keep him out of Sunday’s encounters too.

Likening the crash to what occurred in Thailand earlier in the season, Camier was gutted to be facing more time out in a career sporadically hampered by injuries over the years.

“It was another unlucky situation, similar to what happened in Thailand. Cortese highsided right in front of me and I hit the bike, having nowhere to go.

“We are not yet exactly sure of the damage I’ve done, I will need to have another scan, an MRI, to really understand what’s happened and what kind of recovery time we are looking at. I hope to be back as soon as possible of course.”