John Hopkins (motorcycle racer)
John " Hopper " Hopkins ( IPA: [ dʒɒn ' hɒpkɪnz ] ) (born 22 May 1983; Ramona, California) is an American professional motorcycle racer.
Hopkins starts for years favored with the number 21, the son of English parents, he owns next to the U.S. and British citizenship.
- 2.1 In the World Motorcycle Championship
- 2.2 In the Superbike World Championship
- 3.1 External links
- 3.2 Notes and references
Career
Early years
John Hopkins learned motorcycling on motocross motorcycles and won his very first race in 1986 on a mini bike. In 1999 he moved permanently to road racing.
MotoGP class
For the 2002 season, John Hopkins came to WCM RedBull Yamaha in the newly created MotoGP class, his team-mate, the Australian veteran Garry McCoy. The team went with the then still allowed, but far inferior 500 - cc two-strokes. Hopkins finished the season with 58 points as a respectable 15th overall, 25 points ahead of team mate McCoy.
For the 2003 season, the Americans joined the Suzuki factory team and contested the season with a 990- cc four-stroke engine. His teammate was the world champion of 2000, fellow countryman Kenny Roberts Junior. Initially, John Hopkins could not enter the desired results, which probably was due mainly to the inferior performance of his motorcycle. At the Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi, he was involved in an accident at the first corner, for which one blamed him. He was then suspended for one race. At the end of the season was Hopkins with 29 points on 17th place overall, in turn, better placed than his teammate.
The technical development of his Suzuki GSV -R has been promoted for the 2004 season. Above all, the engine management system has been improved, which greatly increased the driveability. At the end of the year toward the GSV -R showed a significant upward trend, yet there was also repeatedly technical problems that threw back the development of the motorcycle. At the Grand Prix of Japan, John Hopkins was the first to qualify for the front row but was again involved in an accident at the start. The cause this time was Loris Capirossi, ironically, one of the drivers, the Hopkins had driven in the previous year of the course. In the overall classification, he finished 16th in this year.
The 2005 season played for John Hopkins Suzuki, the team again showed a clear upward trend, mainly due to imputing the new technical director Paul Denning. In Donington Park Hopkins led for the first time for a short time at a race, his best finish this year was fifth in Japan. The Americans finished the season 14th overall, his training performances this year were often considerably better than his rankings in the race. John Hopkins was courted during the season from several other manufacturers, but decided to stay true to Suzuki and therefore got the role as the No. 1 driver assured.
In the 2006 season, John Hopkins got the Supersport World Champion of 2003, the Australian Chris Vermeulen, a new teammates. In the Dutch TT at Assen he could retract his first pole position. Hopkins benefited from the developments at the motorcycle and the well-functioning Bridgestone tires and drove regularly in the top ten, but it was not enough for the first place on the podium. Two fourth ranks were his best results. In the overall standings with 116 points he won the tenth overall.
The 2007 season played Hopkins on Suzuki. After the technical regulations permitted only 800 instead of the previous 990 cc capacity, manufacturers have been forced to develop completely new bikes. In the first tests of the new machines, the Suzuki proved to be very fast and was one of the dark horses for the season. In the fourth race of the season, the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, Hopkins reached rank three of the first four podium of the season. He then drove consistently in the top five and often only just scraped past the podium. At the Czech Republic Grand Prix Hopkins managed second place in the last race of the season in Valencia he was third. The season ended with John Hopkins 189 meters as fourth in the world championship.
For the 2008 season John Hopkins moved to five years with Suzuki to Kawasaki factory team, where he signed a two-year contract. His teammate was the Australian Anthony West. Hopkins started with seventh place in Spain and the fifth in Portugal the season well, but then he made several failures. In qualifying for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in Assen the American fell heavily and pulled a broken left ankle and two tibial fractures, which forced him to take a break of three races. John Hopkins returned to the Grand Prix of Czech Republic and reached back into the remaining seven races, although always the points, but was able to drive a single time in the top ten. At the Grand Prix of San Marino as he could after he quarreled with his wife the day before and had drunk, do not participate in Friday practice what his team was hiding at first, but later admitted yet. With 57 meters Hopkins finished the 2008 16th World Cup ranking.
In January 2009, Kawasaki gave after long speculation its immediate withdrawal from the MotoGP class known. The reason why the Japanese called the global economic crisis, which forced the plant to austerity measures. John Hopkins and his new team- mate Marco Melandri stood there without employer and had to look for a new team. Nevertheless, both hopes for a rescue of the Kawasaki team, continue to start for the Greens made . While Melandri found shelter at Kawa successor Hayate, the media speculated earlier about switching Hopkins' in the World Superbike Championship, the first but did not come true.
Because of the fall of Alvaro Bautista in training for the Grand Prix of Qatar and the resulting injury break the Spaniard, Suzuki John Hopkins undertook as a replacement driver for the only remaining field Suzuki GSV -R. His first denied Hopkins at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. This he finished in 10th and pulled on his comeback thus the first points for Suzuki in the 2011 season.
Superbike World Championship
On 20 March 2009, it was officially confirmed that John Hopkins will compete in the 2009 season for the team of the Swedish ex- Grand Prix driver Johan Stigefelt in the Superbike World Championship. He will go from the third event in Valencia, Spain at the start and a Honda CBR 1000 RR piloting, his teammate will be the Briton Leon Haslam. In favor of the US-American Team Stiggy Racing Honda dissolved the existing contract with the Italian Roberto Rolfo, who was not one hundred percent fit for a long time because of a shoulder injury.
AMA Superbike Championship
In 2010, Hopkins was driving in the U.S. AMA Superbike Championship for the team M4 Monster Suzuki. Due to a hand injury not healed, giving it the adequate operation of the throttle grip made it impossible ( Hopkins: " In order to control the gas I had to use my entire arm " ), he could not get the usual benefits here. He decided on the basis of his many physical problems for a long time out, in which he focused 100% on the restoration of his physical performance.
British Superbike Championship
In 2011, John Hopkins participates in the British Superbike Championship, in which he takes for Cresent Suzuki Team. Of this he hoped to be able to again, especially deny the full and successful motorcycle season and advertise in this way for a place in the MotoGP class.
Statistics
In the World Motorcycle Championship
In the Superbike World Championship
(As of end of season 2012)