"I'm only one point behind Marco Melandri in the championship standings, and I hope I can pull in enough points in the last race to beat the rider who'll replace me at Kawasaki next season."

Hopkins will continue with Kawasaki in 2009, but the 25-year-old Anglo-American is keen to draw a line under a difficult season with a good showing this weekend. Hopkins finished on the podium for Rizla Suzuki at Valencia last year and while a repeat performance this weekend would be a major surprise, the Anglo-American has a top ten finish in his sights.

"I'm looking forward to Valencia, as I seemed to click with the circuit last year and finished the race on the podium," said John. "It's been a long season, with a lot of ups and downs, and the injuries have held us back a lot. But, I want to finish my first year with Kawasaki on a high so I'll be pushing hard for a good result this weekend, although the podium may be slightly out of our reach this time around.

"The Valencia circuit demands a lot of a bike and rider, so set-up will be critical this weekend. If we can get the bike working well during practice and qualifying, I think we can be confident of a top ten finish in the final race of the season," he added.