Crammed schedule worry for John Hopkins

The risk of burnout and loyalty to Suzuki and his British Superbike title commitments were the reasons why John Hopkins knocked back the chance to ride a Honda RC212V machine in Laguna Seca last weekend.

Hopkins negotiated with LCR Honda boss Lucio Cecchinello about joining struggling Spaniard Toni Elias in selected MotoGP races in the second half of the 2011 campaign.
The temporary contract would have started in America last weekend but would have seen Hopking ride in BSB, MotoGP and World Superbikes in just three weekends.

And he told MCN: “I know Laguna would have been part of the LCR deal and that would have meant me doing to a BSB race, fly to Laguna, fly back because I’m contracted to the do the Silverstone WSB race, then another BSB and then do Brno.

“So it would have been five or six weeks straight and it would have been a crazy schedule. It would have been a demanding schedule but right now my loyalty has got to be to Suzuki and also to Crescent in BSB.”

Hopkins will compete in the Brno MotoGP race on August 14 having secured a wild card with Suzuki and he said: “Just having a race to prove what I can do on a MotoGP machine, I’d feel more comfortable on the Suzuki.”