MOTOGP » JOHN HOPKINS
CAREER
John Hopkins, like team-mate Marco Melandri and the entire Kawasaki Racing Team had his 2009 plans thrown into doubt by Kawasaki’s decision to halt its factory MotoGP activities.
Whilst Melandri was named as the lone rider for the unofficial 'Hayate Racing Team', Hopper reached a settlement with Kawasaki to terminate his contract early and subsequently signed to ride for Stiggy Honda in the World Superbike Championship from Valencia onwards.
2009 should have been the second year of Hopkins’ contract with Kawasaki, and a year in which the Anglo-American aimed to erase the disappointment of 2008 and prove that his 2007 form with Suzuki was no fluke.
Hopkins was the leading rider in the 2007 world championship to change teams, having finished a career best fourth in the final standings for Rizla Suzuki and taken his first four MotoGP podiums.
Ending his five year Suzuki association to join the least successful MotoGP manufacturer was always going to be something of a gamble, and Hopkins’ 2008 hopes were hit further when he injured his groin during pre-season testing at Phillip Island.
When the racing season began Hopkins was still not fully fit, while the ZX-RR was rarely a match for its 2008 rivals. Hopper’s best finish of the season was fifth at round three in Estoril, and the rest of his season was marred by injuries; starting with a fractured vertebra in Friday practice at Catalunya and then leg fractures in a huge 230km/h qualifying fall at Assen, which forced him to miss both the Dutch TT and next two rounds.
Third on the grid in wet qualifying on his Brno comeback was a welcome surprise, but race results never improved and Hopkins finished the year just 16th in the championship, ahead of only future team-mate Melandri and outgoing team-mate Anthony West.
Hopkins was propelled into MotoGP as the reigning AMA Formula Xtreme Champion, when he was signed by Red Bull Yamaha for the 2002 season. Despite his relative lack of experience, the determined Hopkins produced what was regarded as an impressive debut season on an outdated 500cc two-stroke - in the first year of 990cc four-strokes - and finished 15th in the championship with 58 points.
That performance helped convince Suzuki’s factory team that Hopkins was a future star and he was paired with fellow American, and 2000 world champion, Kenny Roberts Jr for 2003.
The 2003 spec GSV-R had serious handling problems from the start, but Hopkins outperformed Roberts on his way to 17th in the championship and a best race result of seventh - Suzuki's best finish of the year. The only blot on his season was a controversial ban from Malaysia for triggering a first turn pile-up at Motegi.
A pre-season Supercross injury hampered the early part of his 2004 season, but Hopper delivered a strong second half of the year with a best result of sixth at the Portuguese Grand Prix. John finished 16th in the world championship despite being injured in a first turn Motegi pile-up - this time the result of another rider’s error.
Despite interest from other teams, Hopkins chose to remain alongside Roberts at Suzuki for 2005. Like Roberts, Hopkins battled for the lead in wet races in China and Britain - but was still unable to get his first podium. The highlight of his year was a best ever GP finish of fifth in Japan and front row starts at Motegi and Sepang, but the #21 was only 14th in the championship.
2006 saw Hopkins joined at Suzuki by WSBK star Chris Vermeulen and he continued his upward curve with a debut pole position at Assen and two fourth place finishes en route to tenth in the championship, laying the basis for his breakthrough 2007 season.
