MotoGP: John Hopkins impressed by Kawasaki Screamer motor

American John Hopkins is confident that he will race Kawasaki‚s new Screamer motor in 2008 after he completed a handful of laps on the revised spec ZX-RR in Jerez yesterday.

Hopkins completed just five laps on the bike that Kawasaki first rolled out during a three-day test session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia back in January.

The revised firing order machine is still in the early stages of development, with major improvements needed to find more horsepower before the Screamer is ready to race.

But Hopkins reckons he could debut the bike in the middle of the 2008 campaign
Hopkins told MCN: “It needs a lot of refinement and they need to improve the horsepower but I think there is a strong possibility we will be racing it before the season is out.

“It is a lot smoother at the apex of the corner and gets round the apex a lot nicer.

“It’s really agile and it’s like riding a two-stroke again with a lot less vibration.”

Read more about Hopkins‚ Screamer debut and more on the Jerez test in the Wednesday April 9 issue of Motor Cycle News.