Suzuki's
John Hopkins will be paying particular attention to his rubber this weekend, as
MotoGP ventures to Misano for the San Marino Grand Prix.
Although the grand prix series used to visit the Rimini circuit in the 1980s and '90s, it has not been there for several years, and returns to find not only that the track has been resurfaced, but also reversed.
"This weekend could be all about tyres - we just don't know what's going to happen," the American admitted, "They could work perfectly out of the box, or the surface could just eat them up!
"One thing I do know is that we are all starting equal, as nobody has raced this track on a MotoGP bike before. My crew will be working all-out to give me the best bike possible straight from the start. I am able to learn tracks quite quickly and, if Stuart and the boys can give me the machine to do it on, and the Bridgestones work as well as they have done all year, then who knows what might happen!”
Hopkins and Suzuki team-mate
Chris Vermeulen have enjoyed good results in recent races, elevating themselves to a share of fourth place in the championship, and the America sees no reason why he shouldn't raise his ambitions between now and the end of the year.
“After my podium last time out, I want more of those - especially to step up to the top," he reasoned, "I wanted a top five finish in the championship when the season started, and I'll be doing all I can to make that happen, but there's no reason why it can't even be a top three."
