Buzzin MotoGP

John Hopkins is looking forward to racing at Jerez after a disappointing Moto GP opener at Qatar, where he finished in twelveth place.

The Kawasaki rider, is still recovering from the injury to his groin after crashing in Australia in January.

John said “The abductor muscle I tore at Philip Island in January still isn’t completely fixed but everything’s going okay and I’ve been training hard.  I’ve been in Miami, the sun’s been out and I’ve been taking care of myself before Jerez.              We’ve had some more MRI scans done, which show the injury is still definately there, unfortunately, but it’s not been keeping me from working on my fitness.  Despite the muscle problem, I really feel 100% ready for the race and I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m definately going to improve on the position I got at Qatar.  We’ll work on tyre choice and a good set up and it’ll be great to head back to Europe to race.”

Hopkins team mate Anthony West is also hoping for better things in his race after finishing in sixteenth place at Qatar.  He said “I really wasn’t happy with my performance at Qatar.  Riding around at the back isn’t why I’m here and I need to get it together.  My confidence was shot when I crashed a couple of times and, after that, I never really found my pace.  My main aim is essentially to raise my game.  I need to have more faith in the bike and the set-up, especially when it comes to turning it in to the corners.  This is a weak spot for me, of sorts.  Still, I’m really looking forward to the Jerez race.  I really want to prove myself and I’m hoping this is where I can start doing that.”