Aussie Chris Vermeulen has had a tough return to WSBK with Kawasaki, but hopes to be back for January tests.

Queenslander Chris Vermeulen hopes to be back on track with the Kawasaki Racing Team as soon as January to begin development of the all-new 2011 model ZX-10R.

The Aussie has again taken time out from his recovery to update his fans on his physical condition in a video message on his personal website.

Vermeulen, who is still on crutches, has been out of action for much of the year following a bad crash in Australia, which was followed by further falls, and his subsequent decision to undergo knee surgery to get fit for the 2011 season left him without a ride from the Brno Round onwards.

“I’ve had a ten week check-up since my operation in Barcelona and they are really happy and surprised with how my knee looks,” said the former Superbike and MotoGP race winner.

“It was a major surgery. I got a new piece of meniscus on the lateral side of my knee where it was very badly damaged and I also got a new ligament. It was a very big job and a complete recovery is around nine to twelve months before my body can accept the new parts.

“But after 10 weeks I have over 90 degrees bend in my knee and I’m working hard with my physio doing 20 minutes of work on the knee every hour that I am awake. In three or four weeks time I might be able to throw the crutches away.”

The positive news should enable Vermeulen to return to the track for Kawasaki’s first tests of 2011 in early January. With Tom Sykes and Katsuaki Fujiwara both doing sterling testing work on the new ZX-10R, Vermeulen is itching to getting out on the new bike as soon as possible.

“With the rate of my recovery, I will definitely be able to ride the bike at the end of December or January, which fits in great with Kawasaki’s testing,” he said. “At the moment we plan to start our new year test early in January. The doctors say I won’t do any more damage to my knee when I’m on the bike.”