John Hopkins (motorcyclist)

For other people named John Hopkins, see John Hopkins (disambiguation).

John Hopkins
NationalityAmerican
Current teamMoto Rapido Ducati
Bike number21
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years2002–2008, 2011
ManufacturersYamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki
Championships0
2011 championship position21st (6 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
112 0 4 1 2 563
Superbike World Championship
Active years2009, 2011–2012
ManufacturersHonda, Suzuki
Championships0
2012 championship position19th (44 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
28 0 0 1 0 81
British Superbike Championship
Active years2011
ManufacturersSuzuki
Championships0
2011 championship position2nd (645 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
23 5 16 3 2 645

John "Hopper" Hopkins (born May 22, 1983)[citation needed] is a former motorcycle road racer based in the United States. During 2017 he raced in the British Superbike Championship aboard a Ducati 1199 Panigale for Moto Rapido Racing,[1] but suffered injuries from a crash at the season-finale race meeting in October, meaning he could not participate during 2018.[2][3] He has not made a full recovery, which has so far precluded hopes of a comeback,[4] but he has become involved in rider coaching.[5]

From 2020, Hopkins became a rider-coach for American Racing team helping Joe Roberts and Marcos Ramirez in Moto2.[6][7]

In a 2007 interview, he was questioned about being regarded as Anglo-American, with the interviewer commenting: "A lot of people don't understand your being British. As I understand it, your entire family moved over here from England, and you were raised here as a British family in America".[8]

After riding a Ducati in the British Superbike Championship during the 2015 season, in 2016 he raced a Yamaha YZF-R1 for Tommy Hill's THM team partnered by Stuart Easton.

Hopkins raced previously in MotoGP, the AMA Superbike Championship, and the Superbike World Championship. He first raced in MotoGP during 2002 for the Red Bull Yamaha WCM team on a two-stroke 500 cc bike, and joined the factory Suzuki squad a year later for a five-year spell. He raced for the Kawasaki MotoGP team in 2008, but they dropped him for 2009 due to the global economic crisis and the company's uncompetitive showings. He has subsequently raced in both the World and British Superbike championships, finishing second in the 2011 British Superbike Championship season although injuries and alcohol problems have affected his results.[9][10]

He was born to parents from Acton.[11]

  1. ^ "John Hopkins returns to Moto Rapido Ducati". www.motorapido.co.uk. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  2. ^ BSB: Hopkins out after paddock hill crash Motor Cycle News, October 14, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2018
  3. ^ Injury rules Hopkins out of 2018 British Superbike series Bike Sport News, January 11, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018
  4. ^ "Hopkins has hit "brick wall" with injury recovery". www.motorsport.com. January 30, 2019.
  5. ^ "John Hopkins set to work as American Racing rider coach". November 20, 2019.
  6. ^ Roberts ‘the role model for American racing’ – Hopkins bikesportnews.com, March 10, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020
  7. ^ John Hopkins set to work as American Racing rider coach motogp.com Retrieved September 15, 2020
  8. ^ SuperbikePlanet.com Interview (by Dean Adams): MotoGP Racer John Hopkins Archived November 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, January 10, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2015
  9. ^ Madson, Bart (March 31, 2011). "John Hopkins Interview: Jerez MotoGP - Motorcycle USA". Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "Hopkins battled pain with alcohol".
  11. ^ "You're Not a Teenager Anymore, John Hopkins". May 22, 2003.