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It is still not certain that VFT Racing rider Fabio Menghi will make his WorldSBK debut at his home round next weekend.

The Italian has missed the opening seven fixtures following a heavy crash in pre-season testing at Phillip Island; although a return at Misano has long since been penciled into the diary, Menghi is still unsure following his latest medical check.

When he crashed in the Australia test, Menghi suffered a fractured hip as well as sustaining a shoulder injury.

“I will decide next week whether I will race at the weekend or not,” he tells WorldSBK.com in a telephone interview. “I am still lacking muscle tone in the leg where they have operated on me – and there is still work to do. I am continuing to receive deep massages which help where they have had to cut into my leg. Other than that, I am feeling well; I’m training every day, doing a lot of cycling and going to the gym.

“If I do return at Misano it will be because I am sure I am ready. Of course, there is always that doubt in the back of your mind that you could do even more damage to yourself if you crash again; that could potentially cause even worse problems, if I fell and damaged the area in which they have already operated. You have to take that into consideration. A fracture like mine usually takes six months to heal.”

Since Fabio’s crash, his father and team owner, Valerio, has enlisted the services of fellow Italian riders Matteo Baiocco and Luca Scassa.

“Should I not come back at Misano, I’m not sure who would replace me,” Menghi continues. “Baiocco rode the bike first but had to stop as he has commitments in the Italian championship, whereas the agreement with Scassa was always to do just two rounds. So at the moment we don’t know, but it could be Baiocco again. I have great admiration for both of those guys, who had to come into a completely new environment in difficult circumstances. Both deserve to be in the World Championship.”

His doubts aside, Menghi admits that a Misano comeback would be special:

“It would be very nice! There would be a lot of people who would be able to come and see me racing at home, which would be an extra boost for me. On top of that, since the start of the season I have become a father! My fiancée (Sara) and new baby daughter (Christel) have definitely contributed to my quicker-than-usual recovery!”