Hopkins arrives at Kawasaki fresh from his best ever season in MotoGP, during which he took his first four podiums and fourth overall in the final world championship standings - and wants even more with the ZX-RR.

"Last year was good, by far my best season yet," he said. "I got a couple of podiums but I was a little disappointed not to get my first win. Over the championship I made a few mistakes, crashed out in Jerez, and there were a few places where I lost quite a lot of points, but I still managed to salvage fourth place. Now it's a new step, new bike and hopefully we can take it to a new all-time high next year.

"I'm enjoying it. The team's great, the atmosphere is good and they are really dedicated towards improving the machine and taking everything forward. We share the same vision," he concluded.