Image: Russell Colvin.

Yamaha Racing Team’s Glenn Allerton is set to make his racing return this weekend at Darwin’s fourth round of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli.

Allerton has been sidelined since March after breaking his arm at Wakefield Park’s second round, which ultimately saw the New South Welshman undergo surgery before taking on an extensive recovery schedule throughout the following months.

As the multi-time Australian champion physically rebuilds from the downtime, he’s been forced to make alterations to both his factory Yamaha YZF-R1M and his riding style to allow for the lack of strength in his left shoulder.

“I’ve been doing a bit of practicing out at Eastern Creek and my cardio fitness is really good because I’ve been training hard during the period that I’ve been hurt,” Allerton explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “I just don’t have the strength in my left shoulder that I used to have, so that’s a bit of a challenge.

“We made some alterations to the bike with a different tank configuration, allowing me to grip the bike with my legs better so I can compensate for it. I’m finding little ways that I can ride the bike better, like the way I put my weight on the bike and how I push my weight into the pegs when I accelerate.

“I’m building my confidence with the bike, and you know, building time just being on the bike to be comfortable again. After that long off the bike, things change and your body isn’t used to doing the extreme forces you get when your riding the bike at speeds.”

The 36-year-old admits he doesn’t have high expectations for Hidden Valley, although he’s adamant he wants to be vying for wins to close the season out: “During the race, my expectations aren’t anything high.

“I just want to try and get through the races, and yeah, I’ll just have some fun and see where I end up. Like I said, it’s all about building up to winning races at the end of the year. I really can’t predict where I’m going to finish up this weekend, I’m just going to try and do the best that I can.”