John Hopkins

John Hopkins was born in the United States of America. A fascination for motor bikes developed at an early age and when he was just a toddler, he was participating in MiniBike championships.

'Hopper' has always had a penchant for motor bikes and it was no surprise when he decided to take his passion to the next level. In 1986, a three year old Hopper was taking part in MiniBike races and he also won his first race then. After 13 years of racing with smaller versions of motorbikes, John shifted to full time road racing in 1999.

In 2002, Hopkins joined the WCM Red Bull Yamaha team alongside Garry McCoy. A change in regulations that season had seen four-stroke 990cc bikes run against two-stroke 500cc bikes and although the two-strokes had a weight advantage, they were less powerful as compared to the four-strokes. Hopkin's YZR000 finished fifteenth in the year with 58 points. In his first season, he had put 25 points between him and multiple race winner, and team mate, McCoy.
In 2003, John had a chance to view the other side of the spectrum with the 4-stroke bikes. He joined Suzuki and was on the back of the 990cc engine but expectations of results weren't met. Lack of horsepower and quicker tyre wear-out were deemed to be the main causes. Hopkins was also suspended when found guilty of causing a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix. He ended the season at 17th place with just 29 points. Although not spectacular, he did finish 2 places ahead of his more celebrated teammate - Kenny Roberts Jr.

In 2004, John finished the season at 16th place after many technology and technical advancements to his Suzuki. Continuous engine management practices were constantly improving the bike for a better ride but unfortunately for John, the bike started showing signs of improvements towards the end of the year. He continued with Suzuki in 2005 as Paul Denning's arrival seemed to bring some promise. Things didn't change much though as John came 14th in the standings at the end of the year. Races weren't as good as qualifying although Hopkins did lead the race at Donington Park for a bit. His best finish was a fifth place at Japan.

His 4th season at Suzuki saw him partner Chris Vermeulen in the Rizla sponsored Suzuki machines. He enjoyed a much better season with an overall 10th place finish with a total of 116 points. Hopkins had two fourth place finishes that were his season's highlights.

In 2007, a new 800cc bike helped Hopkins put in some near-record breaking lap times. He finished the season in fourth place overall taking a podium finish in China. He was labeled as the dark horse for the season and although he never really threatened the top spot, there were signs that those days might not be too far.

In 2008, after several improving years, Hopkins has decided to join the Monster Kawasaki team. The reasons for the switch were rumoured to be something other than performance but Kawasaki will be hoping that Hopkins continues the form improvement that he showed last year and if the bike stays competitive, he may well rule the arena still.