ROUND 1 WSBK PHILLIP ISLAND 2012

SiteOwner — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:43:31 +0000

HOPKINS AND CRESCENT FIXI SUZUKI LOOKING FORWARD TO IMOLA

SiteOwner — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:58:57 +0000

Crescent Fixi Suzuki is looking forward to Round 2 of the 2012 World Superbike Championship at Imola, where the the team will be back to full strength. John Hopkins has been given the all-clear by his hand surgeon in USA and flew to England this past weekend, and will joining team mate Leon Camier at the Italian track, to make his 2012 race debut.

John Hopkins

“I am so pleased to get the all-clear and cannot wait to get on the bike again. I had been given strict instructions not to do any riding this week, which has been a bit frustrating, but I have occupied my time well with physiotherapy, training and numerous spells in the hyperbaric chamber. All of this has helped me to recover quickly and I have no doubt that I will be as fit as can be in Imola. It’s been very busy recently. On Tuesday, I was in the hyperbaric chamber and then drove three hours each way to see my nutrition doctor in Palm Springs. Before that I have really been putting in the hours on my mountain bike and also on the cardio machines in the gym. I am really happy with my hand, how well it has been healing and the range of movement I have got. When I saw the doc on Wednesday, he told me that the bone was fully healed and everything was OK and I could start riding again! I’m hoping to get on my dirt bike before leaving for UK on Saturday, but I have just sold my house and there’s loads of stuff to sort out, but I’ll try and fit in a ride somehow. I am really looking forward to catching up with everybody at Crescent Fixi Suzuki and getting back to to the racetrack. I’ve missed it, but I feel ready and raring to go.”

Leon Camier

“It seems a long time since Phillip Island, so I’m really looking forward to Imola and being back on track again. The last time I raced in Imola, I ended up on the podium and that’s a memory I’d like to repeat. I am happy with the chassis and base set-up we found in Australia, so we’ll try and build on that in the first practice session and keep improving. The first race of the year is always a bit difficult, but I feel we came away with a lot of good feedback and information and we will use that to make the Crescent Fixi Suzuki better. I’ve been training hard recently, doing a lot of cycling and feel in really good shape. Now, all I want is to get back on the bike and start racing again.”

Jack Valentine (Team Manager)

“Since Phillip IsIand, we’ve been pouring over all the data and working on improving the bike. Leon was pretty happy with the chassis and base set-up, so we’ve been looking at other things – including improving tyre wear. John’s crew chief, Lez, spent some time in Yoshimura Japan after Phillip Island, sharing some data and ideas to improve the Crescent GSXR. They found a couple of areas where improvements can be made and the first practice at Imola will give us a chance to see how these ideas make the bike feel. Obviously we’re all delighted to have John back with us and it gives the whole team a boost. From what his doctor says, the hand should be more or less at full strength. I would like John to take the first day or so in Imola steadily, build up gradually and get race fit as soon as he can – without any stress. I am looking forward to Imola and a positive weekend, with good, solid results.

HOPKINS INJURES HAND IN TESTING CRASH

SiteOwner — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:00:52 +0000

John Hopkins

“This feels so devastating because I was feeling really comfortable on the bike right from the start. I was running the 2011spec bike, with just small mods to the engine and the new Yoshimura exhaust, and hadn’t even got on the full 2012 bike yet. But I felt that the GSX-R had already been improved in the areas it needed to be.

The track conditions were not the best and we started the day a bit late because there were some damp patches around from the overnight rain. Having said that, it wasn’t the damp that caused the crash. I was on a used tyre and probably on the last lap before pulling in. I exited turn one and might have been just a little bit too hot for the condition of the tyre going into turn two, when suddenly the rear came round even before I got on the brakes. I was spat off and unfortunately came down on my right hand – yeah, the same one that is missing a bit of finger. The X-rays show that I have fractured a bone in the base of the hand, near what’s left of my fourth finger. I will fly home tomorrow and see my hand surgeon, Doctor Chao, and we’ll decide what has to be done. I would say that my chances of racing at Phillip Island next week are very slim, but the important thing is to get the hand sorted correctly and be completely right before I race. It may be better to miss Phillip Island and then use the six weeks or so before Imola to get back to 100% – we’ll see. I want to say thanks to the Crescent Fixi team for all their efforts and sorry to Suzuki and all the team’s sponsors – we’ll be back and fighting for the podium soon ”

Jack Valentine

“It is a bit more than unfortunate what happened to John today. We had a late start, because of the overnight rain and a bit of sea mist this morning, but everything was going fine. John looked good on the bike. His lap times were right up there with the others and there were no problems with his finger. He was unlucky to highside, but more unlucky to come down on his right hand. We’ll wait to see how he gets on in USA tomorrow and although there is a possibility that he might race, I think we’d all rather that he got his injury sorted out properly and then return when he’s full and ready.

The positives are that both riders have already gelled really well with the bike. Hopper looked good right from the start and Leon got comfortable straightway. Leon ended the day really happy with the bike and he’ll carry on the work we’ve got to do and keep improving tomorrow.”

HOPPER’S 2012 WSBK MACHINE

SiteOwner — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:48:35 +0000

CRESCENT SUZUKI UNVEILS 2012 WSBK GSX-R

SiteOwner — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:37:47 +0000

Crescent Suzuki are delighted to announce details of their 2012 GSX-R1000 World Superbike Championship contender and also to welcome bespoke FX solutions provider Fixi, as co-title sponsor.

Team Principal Paul Denning:

“The team has done a stunning job to prepare the new GSX-R for this level of competition – the attention to detail is faultless and I think that this will be the most advanced GSX-R ever to grace a racetrack! Yoshimura’s hard work and proactive attitude to engine development has also enabled us to be as well prepared for Phillip Island as we can be. John and Leon are ready, the team is very motivated and we will put everything into competing at the best level we possibly can!

I would like to thank Richard Wynn and his co-directors at Fixi for their continued and expanded support. I would also like to thank Ronald Kabella and the team at Motorex and all our partners for their commitment to Crescent Fixi Suzuki’s assault on the World Superbike Championship. Finally, thanks to all at new team partner Sign Language for completing the graphic-wrapped livery so expertly and quickly.”

Fixi Plc CEO Richard Wynn:

“Fixi provides bespoke, state of the art foreign exchange services to the institutional and professional marketplace and we are no strangers to Crescent, having supported them in the British Superbike Championship last year. Having our brand exposed globally is extremely good timing for us – we have offices in London, Chicago and more recently Singapore, and, through our innovative technology, we are able to reach out to clients and partnerships in all the leading global financial centres. The World Superbike Championship offers us a wonderful opportunity not only to entertain our existing clients, but also to enhance our marketing strategy. Last year provided us with one of the most exciting finales any Superbike series has witnessed and we have no doubt that the Crescent Suzuki team will do a sterling job in representing our brand in the World Superbike Championship.”

Crescent Fixi Suzuki would like to thank all their additional 2012 sponsors and racing partners: Yoshimura / Motorex / Troy Lee Designs / Beta Tools / Sign Language / Unibox / ND Plugs / GB Racing / Goodridge / Ferodo / Tsubaki / PUIG / Valter Moto / Numax / Motec / Big Rock Holidays / Clinton Enterprises / Blue Chip / Data Pacific / DFDS / ACL Hire / Flag Innovations / Draggin Jeans / Renthal / P1 Race Batteries / 3M

Hopper’s Hot Air Balloon Skydive

SiteOwner — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:53:23 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

HOPKINS HAS PARTIAL FINGER AMPUTATION

SiteOwner — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:28:05 +0000

Crescent Suzuki’s John Hopkins has undergone surgery to amputate the top of the ring finger on his right hand.

Following numerous surgeries and complications after his crash at the Brno MotoGP event in 2011, the Crescent Suzuki World Superbike rider is now positive that, after the operation in California, it will not adversely affect his Championship challenge this year.

He visited his consultant on Thursday and was given a set of options, the best being to remove part of the finger up to the first knuckle. This allows Hopkins to start physiotherapy in 10-11 days time and then be back on a bike in just three weeks.

John Hopkins:

“I went to see my doctor for a progress report and the news was not great. It’s never good news when you have to lose a body part, but this was the best scenario all round because otherwise the situation could’ve dragged on for some time, with not necessarily a better result in the end.

“Apart from the actual pain of the surgery, I must say that it’s feeling better already. I now have about 10 days when I cannot do any physio, but then I can start again. This is a bit of a setback, but really not too bad because I have been training and getting fit for some time now, so my base level is very good. I’ll be able to train fully again soon and be able to get on a bike in three weeks, so I’m sure I’ll be ok for our first tests in Australia.

“I know the bike well and I’ve raced at Phillip Island before, so at least I will not be starting from scratch. Our GSX-R1000 has a very good base setting and I am confident that we’re not going to be struggling at the start. The level of competition is tough for sure, but I think we’re going to be competitive right from the start.”

Hopkins forced to withdraw from Malaysian Grand Prix

SiteOwner — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:33:10 +0000

John Hopkins has had to withdraw from this weekend’s Sepang GP due to further complications with the broken finger he damaged in Brno earlier this season.

Hopkins was due to make a wild-card appearance for the Rizla Suzuki team this weekend, but the third finger on his right-hand that he broke in the Czech Republic – also as a wild-card entry – has re-broken at the knuckle. The finger is swollen and seized overnight, making it impossible to ride a MotoGP machine competitively or safely.

Hopkins will stay for the remainder of the weekend to give his full support to team-mate Álvaro Bautista and the Rizla Suzuki squad, before he returns to America for further surgery and convalescence to repair the damage to his hand and enable him to make a full recovery in time for next season.

John Hopkins:

“I knew my hand was sore after yesterday afternoon, because it was hurting when I was riding. It is definitely a lot more painful riding a MotoGP bike than it was the British Superbike, mainly due to the immense braking forces on the GSV-R. I woke up just before six this morning and I had quite a bit of pain so I tried to loosen it up and bend it, but that wasn’t an option. The screws and the plates in the finger have come apart and there’s just no movement in the knuckle at all, so I cannot bend the finger. If I get any further damage to the injury it could result in amputation and certainly don’t want that! My Doctor is totally confident that he can fix it, but I just haven’t been able to rest it and give it the proper time needed to repair it over the last six weeks. I thought it would be fine to ride this weekend and had every hope of it working, but I didn’t expect the amount of force that goes into riding a GP bike would cause such a problem.

“I am so sorry for the team and Rizla Suzuki, because they have given me such a great opportunity again and now I can’t ride past the Friday – it’s heartbreaking and I can’t express my disappointment. It’s such a shame and I couldn’t be more upset, but the priority now is to get it fixed and get myself ready for the 2012 season.”

Encouraging first day for Rizla Suzuki duo

SiteOwner — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:25:34 +0000

Álvaro Bautista and John Hopkins began their preparations for Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix with a positive performance from both at Sepang today.

Bautista (P7, 2’03.123, 33 laps) was never outside the top-10 in either session today as he carried on with the impressive form that he showed last week at Australia. He tested the two tyre compounds available to him for this weekend, as he worked with his crew to find the best configuration for his Suzuki GSV-R around the 5,543m Sepang circuit.

Hopkins used both of today’s sessions to re-acquaint himself with a MotoGP machine as he joins Rizla Suzuki for a wild-card ride in Malaysia. His best time of 2’03.885 from his 28 laps today was good enough to give him a respectable 14th in the classification. Hopkins is sure he can make improvements tomorrow and convinced he can progress further up the standings.

Today’s sessions were held in the hot and humid conditions that are so commonplace in Malaysia. The fastest time was set by Dani Pedrosa on a Honda.

Rizla Suzuki has one more free practice session tomorrow morning followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon when Bautista and Hopkins will be going all out to get the best grid positions for Sunday’s 20-lap race.

Álvaro Bautista:

“Today has been quite a good day for us and I am in seventh position, which is not too bad for a Friday. This morning we tried a different setting on the bike, similar to the one we used in Australia, and we preferred that one so we carried on with that this afternoon. We continued with the soft tyres we had been using this morning during this afternoon’s session and I did more than race distance with them, and the rhythm felt good. In the middle of the second practice I tried a harder rear tyre, but I didn’t feel too much initial grip and it didn’t give me as much feedback as the softer one. We have got some good information on the tyres now and I think we will use the softer one for the race, if the conditions are similar to today. I will try to improve tomorrow in FP3 and then get a good lap in qualifying, so I am in the best possible position for the race.”

John Hopkins:

“Today has just been about getting comfortable on the bike and building my confidence back up to be able to ride a MotoGP machine. My main thing was getting the confidence in the tyres, because unlike at Jerez and Brno, where the tyres gave me a good feedback and I was able to get used to them straight off the bat, here with the temperatures and humidity I am spinning up a bit and struggling a bit with rear grip. It’s probably not so much struggling as getting used to how it’s working and getting the bike picked up at the right time out of the corners. I feel quite strong in some of the parts of the track, but coming out of some of the corners I’m not quite where I want to be, which is mostly due to my rider technique and getting back on terms with the bike. The day wasn’t too bad for us, but I think we can improve a lot tomorrow. I will think about the track tonight and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“The first day at Sepang and it has been great to see two Rizla Suzuki out on the track! John’s been through a lot physically in the last couple of months, and that combined with the shock of the way the MotoGP bike works compared to the Superbike, held him back a little bit today. I am sure that with a good night’s sleep he will be quite a bit closer to his best tomorrow.

“Álvaro’s pace is better than his position, he equalled his best lap with race distance on the tyres and I think he can go a lot quicker tomorrow. The GSV-R is working well and if everything goes in the right direction I think Álvaro has a chance to fight for the podium on Sunday.”

Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle GP Free Practice Combined Classification:

1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 2’01.250: 2. Casey Stoner (Honda) +0.820: 3. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +1.340: 4. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) +1.573: 5. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda) +1.701: 7. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.873: 14. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +2.635:

Hopkins and Rizla Suzuki back together at Sepang

SiteOwner — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:56:13 +0000

Rizla Suzuki is in Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix where regular racer Álvaro Bautista will be joined by wild-card entry John Hopkins.

Hopkins arrives at Sepang to partner Bautista fresh from finishing as runner-up in the British Superbike Championship during his first season in the series. He was due to race alongside the Spaniard in Brno earlier this season, but crashed in the practice session and severely broke his finger – an injury that he is still recovering from. Hopkins is in a determined mood ahead of this weekend’s event and is aiming to produce a good performance as he tries to re-establish himself back in MotoGP on a full-time basis.

Situated approximately 60kms south of Kuala Lumpur, the Sepang International Circuit was constructed in 1998 and is one of the most modern and spectacular on the MotoGP schedule. Its layout over 15 turns is a mixture of elevation changes with sweeping curves, a tight hairpin and two wide and very long straights either side of the stunningly impressive grandstands that are a real head-turner for fans and racers alike.

The Rizla Suzuki duo take to the track on Friday – for the first two of three free practice sessions – the third being held on the following morning. Qualifying for the 20-lap race will take place on Saturday afternoon, with the main event getting underway at 16.00hrs local time (08.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 23^rd October.

Álvaro Bautista:

“We need to put the result of last Sunday firmly behind us and concentrate on all the positives we had there. The bike worked really well all weekend on a track that has been difficult for us and if we can continue like that in Malaysia we will be very pleased. We had a good race at Sepang last year and we have some good references from the winter tests so I expect to be competitive. If the luck is finally with us we will have a result that we all deserve, after all the hard work we have put in and the progress we have made.”

John Hopkins:

“I’m heading to Sepang with only MotoGP on my mind! When I went to Brno I was still in the middle of the BSB season and that was my main priority, but now I am totally focused on doing the best I can for Rizla Suzuki, the team and myself. I want to get back into MotoGP full-time and I cannot wait to get on the bike and show what I can do. I’ve seen Álvaro’s performances in recent races and the GSV-R looks like a great piece of kit now, it seems like the factory and the crew have done a good job and I just can’t wait to get on it. My finger is still sore, but that won’t hold me back, I’m so happy to be back here and it’s where I want to stay!”