John Hopkins will be making a MotoGP return at Jerez this weekend, with the Suzuki man being drafted in to replace Álvaro Bautista after the latter’s practice accident in Qatar. Following an operation, the Spaniard continues to recover from a broken thigh bone and hopes to get back to riding as soon as possible.
“I was shocked by what happened to Álvaro, especially after such good winter testing, and I really wish him a speedy and full recovery,” said 27-year-old Californian Hopkins. “I wanted the opportunity to get back on a MotoGP bike, but not under these circumstances.
“I’m under no illusions that this will be tough weekend for me, as I’ve not been on a GP machine for a couple of years or ridden the new control tyres – except for the filming I did in Qatar a couple of weeks ago – so I realise this will be a step up from what I have been riding recently.
“The bikes have moved on in the last three years, but when I rode the GSV-R at Losail it seemed so familiar and I immediately had a good feeling, but that was at filming pace, so it’s going to be a lot different at race pace!
“I know the Jerez track well, so it’s not like I need to learn a new circuit and I also know the team well so that that will help a lot. I will certainly be trying as hard as I can to get a good result and make sure that I don’t disappoint anybody – myself included. I want to say a big thank-you to Suzuki and Rizla for giving me this opportunity and I intend to pay back their faith with a good performance on my return to MotoGP.”
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