Camier qualified in eighth position for both of the weekend’s races in only his second meeting back since his serious leg injury at Aragon, and followed that up with a ninth in race one.

In race two, Camier found himself embroiled in a dice for sixth place with Davide Giugliano and Michel Fabrizio, before he crossed the line at the chequered flag in seventh place.

The former British Superbike Champion said, “I had a pretty good start in the second race and got past Jules on the first lap. I then tried to get in a rhythm and not lose the tow.

“It took me a lap or two to get the feel and confidence in the brakes because we’d made a change to them for the second race. The set-up of the bike also worked better and let me do a bit more in the race, but I think the results today are what we can expect at this track.

“Yoshimura and the Crescent team have done a great job and the engine performance is in a different world to last year, but I don’t think we could have done much more here.”

It was a weekend to forget for Jules Cluzel, who qualified seventh on the grid. The young Frenchman missed his braking marker for the first chicane and had to run on. After losing five places, he was further penalised with a ride-through penalty.

After only managing 17th in race one, Cluzel crashed out early on in race two. He was largely uninjured, picking up a few bumps and bruises and losing a nail.

He said, “I made a mistake in the first race and had to do a ride-through. I think this was a bit harsh because I had already lost 10-seconds and so for me there was no chance of any points.

“In the second race we worked a lot on the bike and made some changes to help with the traction, but I lost the rear for the first time in four races and crashed. I think I made a mistake, but the bike set-up was completely new and with a different feeling because we changed quite a lot.

“Maybe I need to adapt more before going for fast laps, so we will need to learn from this. I got zero points this weekend, but I am already looking to get to the next race, because this one was not the best for me.”

The Crescent FIXI Suzuki rider had a huge high-side after only a couple of laps and it was immediately evident that he was in some discomfort. He was taken straight for an X-ray where it revealed he had suffered a fracture of his foot as well as some torn muscles in his left hip.

After a series of tests on the damage, it was ruled the American would not be fit to compete this weekend.

He tweeted, “Unfortunately after a series of tests done on my left hip, it is clear there is some serious damage preventing me from racing this weekend.

“I couldn’t be more frustrated and disappointed for myself and the team as I’ve been looking forward to Donington WSBK for months.

“I’m seeing one of the UK’s leading hip specialists at the moment and going in for an MRI Friday morning to determine the true severity of the damage.”

A replacement rider has yet to be announced.

Hopkins had a huge high-side after only a couple of laps and it was immediately evident that he was in some discomfort from the crash.

He was taken straight for an X-ray where it revealed he had suffered a fracture of his foot as well as some torn muscles in his left hip. The incident involving Hopkins, as well as some other crashes, and the bad weather that has plagued Monza all weekend, left the organisers with no option but to cancel race one and hope that conditions improved for the second race later in the day.

Race two got underway under grey skies, with Camier the sole Suzuki rider out there, but in difficult conditions could only muster fifteenth, as the race was red flagged at half distance as the rain came down again. Half points were awarded.

John Hopkins said, ”It was not a good weekend. I got pretty banged up in the first race crash and damaged my left hip and broke a bone in my right foot.

“I don’t know what happened because the bike suddenly let go without any warning. It’s a big shame because I had been really looking forward to this weekend and continuing my improvement.

“Today’s conditions were treacherous and all the changes of weather didn’t help at all. There was no way we could ride on the wets, so the right decisions were made.

Leon Camier added, “Today was embarrassing because I was running around with people I knew I could beat.

“We all knew that there might be problems today if it was wet or partially wet, because in practice and qualifying the rain tyres destroyed themselves after about five or six laps, so there was no way that they would’ve lasted a race distance.

“We all hoped for dry conditions, but they never happened. The organisers were aware of the problems with the wet tyres and both their decisions today were the right ones.”

Team Manager Jack Valentine said, “It’s difficult to make complete sense of a day like today, but thankfully it doesn’t happen very often. If the track was soaking wet and it was raining, the wet tyres wouldn’t have lasted long enough – maybe just five or six laps.

“The cancellation of race one and the stoppage of race two were the correct choices, though obviously the crowds weren’t very happy. Hopkins made a fantastic start in the first race, but was forced to take avoiding action when Melandri got all crossed up just in front of him. He dropped to 10th but got back in the groove before crashing out.

“Leon rode really grittily in both races I’m happy he kept both wheels on the ground and managed to finish. We’ve lost valuable track time this weekend and that’s frustrating, especially as we’ve definitely improved our set-up in conditions like these.”

Hopkins will start in ninth, and was unlucky not to make the final Superpole session, despite having never raced at the circuit before.

The American said, “The weather has been very up and down all day and that has made life difficult for all of us.

“There was never a time when the track was either wet or dry and so finding a good set-up in changing conditions was not easy. This afternoon I had an off-track excursion when I suddenly hit a soaking wet part of the track.

“The conditions had been dry, but rain had fallen just before the Parabolica. There were no warning flags out and when I braked in my usual place, at about 180 mph, I hit the wet track.

“I managed to keep the bike upright through the gravel and gently laid it down when I was close to the tyre wall.

“In ‘Wet Superpole,’ I tried full Wets, but the track wasn’t really wet enough and the tyres wore out very quickly. If the conditions are the same tomorrow, I think we’ll all have some problems.

“I feel a huge improvement in the bike on rain tyres compared to Assen. I also feel much more confident about riding in the wet and feel positive I can get some good results tomorrow.”

Teammate Camier will start from 12th on the grid after struggling to make his tyres work because of the difficult conditions, but is in an upbeat mood ahead of the first race.

He said, “The conditions were changeable today and that made it difficult for us.

“Today I tried to get my confidence back after the Assen weekend and I feel I have made some good progress in that direction. It’s been hard to get a good set-up today because the conditions never stayed consistent in any one session.

“We tried full wets, but the track was never really wet enough and the tyres were shot after a couple of laps. The bike feels OK and, depending on the conditions and how the tyres last, I think I can finish with good results tomorrow.”

Team Manager Jack Valentine added, “The conditions were very on-off and it’s been hard coping with all the changes in the weather but I am pleased with the team’s performance, especially with the improvement in the electronics.

“It’s been difficult to set good times all weekend and I think we were a bit unlucky in ‘Wet Superpole’ because John should have gone into the final eight. I’m sure he would’ve managed if he hadn’t been held up on his flying lap at the end of the session.

“I’m pretty happy generally because we’ve made a step forward today despite the dodgy conditions. My only worry for tomorrow is if the conditions, half wet, half dry, are the same as today because the tyres don’t look as if they’ll last. But the situation will be the same for everybody and there will be a lot of gambling with tyre choice, which may produce some strange results.

“It’s good to see that John and Leon are feeling more confident again and that makes me think we can get some positive results tomorrow.”

Sylvain Guintoli secured his first-ever World Superbike pole position, ahead of Tom Sykes and Marco Melandri.

Despite an indifferent weekend in Assen, Leon Camier has some positives to build on, and is sure that his knowledge of the track will help him push his GSX-R1000 to the sharp end of the pack.

The former British Superbike Champion said, “Monza is going to be a tough one for sure. The track is all about speed, but you also have to understand the corners as well.

“It’s a place where slipstreaming is very important and it is possible to be fourth going into Ascari and still win the race. For that you need to be in front going into the Parabolica because the finish line is much nearer to the last corner than it used to be.

“Because of the changing weather conditions in the last round, we didn’t get a chance to try as many things as we would’ve liked, so we’ll use the first practice as a kind of test session.

“I am looking forward to Monza and would like three days of dry weather so we can get all our work done at the beginning. If we do that, I feel positive we can come away with good results.”

John Hopkins is travelling to the Monza having never raced there before, and admits he will need to spend some time acquainting himself with the track.

But the 28-year-old is certain that he will get to grips with the circuit quickly and be up to speed as soon as possible.

He said, “Funnily enough, I have never ridden at Monza before, so I will have to start the weekend learning the track.

“Normally I am a quick learner and, because I have watched a lot of TV footage of the track, I don’t see any big problems. Apart from the chicanes, it looks pretty straightforward. As long as it’s dry, I reckon I can get it dialled-in pretty easily.

“After the last race, I had absolutely no problems with my hand at all. Since then, I’ve been mountain biking and doing some Motocross and the hand has been good.

“I felt very comfortable on the Suzuki in Assen and was just happy to be out there riding and getting to know the bike better. Now I’m looking forward to Monza and getting my best results of the season so far.”

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is often referred to as the ‘Temple of Speed’ and is famous for its 1.195 kilometre-long front straight.