Having spent most of his early career on Honda machinery, it could be said that Max Neukirchner is coming home for the 2010 season. The fact that he is racing anywhere at all is testimony not only to his talent but also to his steely determination after two career-threatening injuries in 2009. A shattered right foot and broken femur following a horrific first-corner pile-up at Monza in May was followed by fractured vertebrae after crashing on his return to testing at Imola in July. With two WSBK wins already to his name, however, a welcome return to Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade within the stable and unified Ten Kate team has given the 26-year-old German renewed confidence that his undisputed potential and riding talent can be fulfilled through further racing success.