Sylvain Guintoli anxiously awaits Round 10 of the 2016 FIM MOTUL World Superbike Championship, as it marks his return to action alongside Alex Lowes at the Lausitzring.

Germany will provide Guintoli with his first race weekend since his qualifying accident at Imola, which forced him out of competition. Having spent the past four months concentrating on his rehabilitation and fitness, the Frenchman has been back on track aboard his YZF-R1 as he prepares for his return. His most recent outings have seen the 34-year-old reacquaint himself with the Pata Yamaha team at two private tests, allowing the opportunity to both learn the Lausitzring layout and test his fitness against his familiar Magny-Cours circuit. Guintoli is confident that he can return to the sharp end for the final four Rounds on the 2016 calendar, starting at the East German track this weekend.

"Obviously I have been out of competition for a few months now so I'm really looking forward to getting back into the mix and getting stuck in”, Says Guintoli ahead of his return. “You can't replace racing - there is nothing that gets anywhere near the feeling it gives you to compete and to race, so I am very much looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully I can rebuild my speed quickly, find a good rhythm with the YZF-R1 and enjoy the end of the season."  

Though the Championship took a two-month-long break from racing over the summer, it has not been the case for Guintoli’s teammate, Alex Lowes. The break saw him compete in and win the Suzuka 8 Hours with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in late-July, before re-joining his endurance teammate Pol Espargaro in the Monster Energy Tech3 Team. Lowes substituted for injured countryman Bradley Smith in two consecutive MotoGP races at Silverstone and Misano. The Pirelli German Round at Laustizring will herald his third race in as many weeks but the British rider, who turns 26 on Wednesday, remains as determined as ever to get back to the WorldSBK Championship to utilise the experience and skills honed aboard the multiple machines over the break, to deliver on the WorldSBK-spec YZF-R1.

"Lausitz is a new track for me and most people in WorldSBK but I'm looking forward to this weekend”, Reflects Lowes. “I think it's going to be a difficult race for everyone, as it's a technical track with some tricky sections but we had a good test there last month. My goal for the final four rounds is to up our game a bit and finish the season well so I'm looking forward to getting started."

Lights out for the 21 lap races at the Lausitzring are scheduled for 13:00 (GMT+2) local time on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September.