WSBK » Hopkins hints at potential before withdrawal

Well done Hopper! All my respect for what have you done!

Great show Hopper. You can hardly walk but boy can you ride!!

In my opinion he has a simalar talent level to Spies. If he stays in the series he will get a factory ride for the 2010 series (probably Ten Kate) and win the title with Spies in Motogp with Tech 3. Toseland takes Spies seat, Edwards takes Nakano's, Vermeulen takes Haga's when he retires. SHOWTIME! What you reckon guys?

Guffaw! Similar talent level to Spies....har, har! Where you been livin'?

what a great ride! he's been on the bike for how long? it's only a matter of time.

where are those idiots who claimed he was over-rated?

anyone who finished 4th in the world in moto gp on a suzuki is not over-rated- period.

I agree Plug Chop, it is only a matter of time. The question is, time till what? This guy has had plenty of time already. He ain't bad, but one way or another he'll finish mid-pack in any series. All these guys are good, but the vast majority aren't championship material. The statement I disagreed with is that he is as good as Spies, and has as much potential. What a laugh. Hopper is on his way down, after having shown nothing special except spirit & ability to come back after injury (self inflicted), and Spies is on his way up after having achieved great results everywhere he's been. Case closed,except for starry-eyed dreamers. Watch the money - that'll tell you who's worth what as a rider.

Nutballracer ....

Time will tell . Hopper has had a rough season or two but has the heart and talent to win the championship and to beat Spies . I watched both of them back when the two of them rode for John Ulrich and Hopper won race in and race out here in the U.S. Let him finish out this season and we will see what happens in 2010

Those winning years were a long time ago, in racer career years, and they certainly weren't in any top series. It'd be pretty miraculous if he could get near the very top in a top series (MotoGP or WSBK), especially considering he really wasn't ever on top in things like US Superbike. He can make some money and have a racing life in a top series, but he'll be mid-field fill with some teeny-bopper appeal, and perhaps an occasional noteworthy performance against the big boys.

hopkins never raced in the superbike class in the us. he went straight to 500gp from racing both formula extreme and 600ss in the same season.

4th in the world on a SUZUKI (1 spot behind valentino) is in my book finishing at or near the top of the class.

he's no spies, but who is? btw- the jury is still out on spies (at least for moto gp) as we have seen that it's quite a difficult transition from superbike to moto gp. on a superbike, spies is awesome- on a moto gp bike? time will tell.

Im not going to point fingers because I dont know if any of "those guys" are here in this thread. But does it seem odd to people that we are trumpeting Johnny Hopkins 4th place finish, one of 2 top 10 finishes, the other being 10th, in 7 years, while discounting Nicky Hayden for never finshing lower than 8th, having 2 top 3 finshes, including a World Championship? Clearly the Suzuki was not as inferior as we want to believe in 2007.

Hopkins is quickly becoming the "Journeyman" of World motorcycle racing with Carlos Checa. He is bouncing around in the minor leagues showing glimpses of brilliance, but he just cant find the consistancy he needs to put it all together for a run.