Italy, of course, is home to Ducati, as well as the Milan-based Fiat Yamaha Team, but Kawasaki is keen to mix it with the frontrunners on their home soil. It looked a likely candidate for a podium finish after Hopkins qualified on the front row and made a strong start in the Czech Republic Grand Prix less than a week ago, but its gamble on tyres didn't pay off and, after running at the front up to halfway, the Anglo-American was forced back to eleventh at the flag as traction problems took their toll.
The 25-year old then sat out the two-day test to nurse the painful rib injury sustained in a practice crash but, now fully fit, is confident that the upgrades to his Ninja ZX-RR made ahead of the Brno race will give him a competitive enough package to fight for his first podium finish for Kawasaki.
"We had a positive weekend in Brno following my return after a long absence through injury, and we managed to put the Kawasaki on the front row," Hopkins reflected, "Although I didn't quite achieve the result we were hoping for, Anthony got into the top five, which just shows that the Kawasaki is improving all of the time and is capable of gaining good results.
"I really enjoy the Misano circuit, and managed to get on the podium there last year, so it's certainly a track I like. I've spent the last week resting and training just to give the injuries that I am still carrying the best possible time to recuperate, but I'm feeling stronger and ready to achieve the results we are more than capable of."
