Hopkins heading to British Superbike

From Team Suzuki News Service

The Crescent British Superbike team has secured the services of Anglo-American star John Hopkins for the 2011 British Superbike Championship and will begin testing the Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Cartagena, Spain, in early March.

Hopkins finished fourth in the 2007 MotoGP World Championship on a Suzuki and will be renewing a strong bond that was formed with Crescent during his time with the MotoGP team. 'Hopper' was born in Ramona, CA but regards himself as half-British because both of his parents originated from London. He has always been proud of his UK heritage and races with the Union Flag on his leathers.

"I'm totally stoked about coming to Britain to race with Crescent in BSB, as this will feel a bit like coming home because I have so many friends and family over in the UK," Hopkins said. "I'm 100 percent fit now and this will give me a great chance to prove that I'm still able to be competitive at the highest level. I've always dreamed of winning the World Championship - that's still my goal - and I see this as a fantastic opportunity to get that ambition back on track.

"I haven't raced on many of the UK circuits, so that will be a big learning curve, but I'll be able to get to grips with them quickly and hope to be on the pace as soon as possible. The Suzuki's a great package, I know I can win races and obviously winning the title is the ultimate goal, so we'll have to see what we can do. I would also like to thank Paul and all at Crescent for giving me this opportunity to race in the UK and plan to repay their faith in me with some great results for the team."

The 27-year-old racer is now back to full fitness following corrective wrist surgery last season to save his career. The surgery was so successful it enabled him to make a late-season comeback, also on a GSX-R, in the American Superbike Championship and secure podium finishes.

"It's fantastic that we have been able to get a guy of John's talent to sign for Crescent," said team manager Jack Valentine. "He is a great rider and always exciting to watch, plus he's tasted podium success in MotoGP, so he is certainly bringing great experience with him to the BSB grid. He's really focused on racing at the highest level and sees BSB as his stepping stone to get back to world level. The whole team is looking forward to working with John and we are all sure this is going to be a great adventure for all concerned."