Karel Abraham is not expected to be back to optimum fitness by the time MotoGP™ pre-season testing resumes in Malaysia at the end of the month, although the Czech does hope to return to full health for the following Qatar test in early March.

The Cardion AB Motoracing rider damaged his left shoulder in a free practice crash ahead of last year’s Indianapolis Grand Prix (video below). As a result of this, he underwent surgery in October and missed seven of the last nine races in 2013.

Returning to the track for the start of 2014 pre-season testing at Sepang last week, Abraham was shocked to discover that he remained in significant pain. As a result, the 24-year-old sought immediate medical attention upon returning home.

"Karel visited doctors immediately after his return to the Czech Republic," a team spokesperson explained to motogp.com on Wednesday. "The main problem is that his shoulder hasn’t sufficient range of movement, so Karel needs more rehabilitation to be able to get back on the bike without any limitations and without excessive pain.

"We expect that he won’t be able to push 100% during the upcoming test in Sepang, but we foresee him being ready for the following test in Qatar."

In 2014, Abraham is one of four riders in the field to be using the new Honda RCV1000R bike. Following the initial test in Malaysia last week, he praised the machine. "The bike is great, it’s a really good bike," he declared. "I am really happy with the chassis and everything. It’s perfect."

To date, Abraham’s sole World Championship race victory came in the Moto2™ race in Valencia at the end of the 2010 season.