The Anglo-American, riding a ZX-RR in the wet for the first time, looked to have got the measure of the slick morning conditions as his lap times tumbled - but disaster struck when he got on the gas fractionally too hard at the high-speed first turn, and was catapulted over the handlebars.
Although able to return to the pits under his own steam, Hopkins suffered pain in his hip and groin once his leathers were removed. The decision was then made to transport him to a medical facility in Melbourne for precautionary x-rays and an ultrasound scan, which confirmed that he'd torn the abductor muscle on the left side of his groin.
Hopkins will now return to the United States, where he will receive laser treatment under the direction of the world renowned Doctor Ting. Untreated the injury would take four to five weeks to heal fully, but Hopkins is confident that, with the assistance of Doctor Ting, he will be back on the bike for the IRTA test in
Jerez from February 16-18.
"My lap times had been coming down by a second a lap, but then I got caught out at turn one while pushing for a faster time. I got on the gas a little too early on the exit, lost the rear and got flicked over the highside when the bike came round on me," confirmed Hopper.
"I must have been horizontal in the air, because I landed flat on my side. It was a hard landing and it felt painful straight away. I went to hospital in Melbourne, where the doctors confirmed that I'd torn around 50 percent of the abductor muscle from the bone. It's not a serious injury, but it is quite painful at the moment. I'm determined to be back on the Kawasaki for the IRTA Jerez test, so I'm going to head home to see Doctor Ting and to get treatment on the injury as soon as possible," he added.
