Rea returns from injury for Aragon Superbike round

Jonathan Rea made the switch from Kawasaki to Yamaha at the end of last season

Jonathan Rea will return from injury to compete in this weekend's World Superbike round at Aragon in Spain, his Pata Yamaha team has confirmed.

The six-time champion missed last weekend's round of races at Cremona in Italy with a hand injury.

The 36-year-old was forced to sit out the Italian meeting after having surgery to repair an abrasion to his right thumb, which he sustained in race one of the French round at Magny-Cours on 8 September.

He has since been undergoing hyperbaric chamber oxygen therapy sessions and physiotherapy to assist healing.

"I’m not 100% recovered but I feel ready to come back, even if I’m still working with my physio to improve the mobility of my thumb," said Rea.

"The injury to the tendon was the biggest issue, which was repaired by my surgeon in France, and the top of the thumb is healing quite well after the skin graft.

"It’s step-by-step, it was always my target to be back for Aragon, but I’m disappointed to have missed Cremona because it was the first race I’ve missed through injury since 2013."

The Northern Ireland rider has had a difficult campaign after switching from Kawasaki to Yamaha before the new season.

He sits 12th in the overall standings on 86 points and has a solitary podium finish to his name, achieved in the sprint race at the UK round at Donington in July.