Barni Racing Team and Leon Camier have parted ways by mutual consent 

The Barni Racing Team and Leon Camier have reached a mutual agreement to terminate their collaboration for the 2020 WorldSBK season. It was a hard choice that came after the difficulties of the British rider in recovering from the shoulder injury suffered during the winter tests at Aragon. The latest tests at Misano in June made it clear that Leon needs more time to return at his 100%. The new WorldSBK calendar, with six rounds in two and a half months, does not permit any recovery time. In light of this situation, the parties decided to put an end to the collaboration. The Barni Racing Team want to thank Leon, wishing him a quick comeback on track.

Leon Camier:

“It’s a very unfortunate situation for both the team and me. I want to be fair to Barni, he’s a great guy with lots of passion and he believed in me end of last year despite me coming back from injury. Like a bad twist of fate I again picked up a shoulder injury – not the same as last year but a different issue – crashing on the Ducati last year during testing in Aragon. Barni stuck with me 100% and in Phillip Island he never put pressure on me to ride and put my health as a first priority when it was too early to come back. During the off time due to the Covid-19 situation I gave the shoulder the rest it needed and as always in close consultation with my doctors I re-started training and got my body fitness at the highest level again. I didn’t really feel the shoulder anymore, also rode supermotard without any problem. But at the Misano test end of June again I started to feel the shoulder.

“According to the medical experts, the situation now is different than before, there seems no structural problem like last year. I am continuing doing tests and it seems just a nerve or muscle is trapped and it is expected it can be solved by dedicated physiotherapy. My doctor is confident that all can be fine for Jerez but I can understand it’s difficult for the team and their sponsors to again have trust in a medical opinion while in the last 7 months the prediction wasn’t accurate. We have found a mutual agreement for a settlement that gives the team the opportunity to enter a replacement rider and me the opportunity to focus on a full recovery without the time pressure of a next upcoming test or race. How unfortunate it may be, injuries are part of our sport, I wish Barni and the guys all the best. For me it’s time to get fully fit again.”

Marco Barnabo, Team Principal:

“For the good of the team, but also to protect the health of the rider, we decided to part ways. As Barni Racing Team we have always believed that Leon was competitive and we think he will be again. We waited for him, and we did everything we could to put him in a condition to show the real potential of both the bike and the rider, but with such a tight race schedule we couldn’t take more risks. This choice protects the interests of the team and all the people who work on it and gives also the rider plenty of time to get 100% fit. I am convinced that Leon can get through this period and come back soon to show his talent.”