Motourage

2011 BSB Championship runner up and former MotoGP and AMA man John Hopkins plans to make another go at the World Superbike Championship after signing with Crescent Suzuki, as the UK-based team makes the move from the national to the world stage. Hopkins completes the two-man lineup with his new teammate, Leon Camier, who makes the move from the Alitalia Aprilia team. Camier will begin testing the Crescent Suzuki Powered by Yoshimura GSX-R1000 at Portimao, Portugal later this month, with Hopkins joining him in the tests in early 2012. The first race of next year’s calendar is scheduled for Sunday, February 26 at Phillip Island, Australia.

Hopkins is currently at his U.S. home in California, recovering from surgery to correct a finger injury he sustained at Brno while riding as a wild card for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team. He had a successful first season with Crescent Suzuki in the British national series, narrowly missing out on the championship at the last race of the year to Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill. Hopkins contested the World Superbike Series in 2009 as a mid-season replacement for Robbie Rolfo at the ill-fated Stiggy Honda team, but injuries – and a horrific crash at the Nurburgring – coupled with Stiggy’s decision to pull out of the series, ended Hopkins WSBK hopes. He signed with John Ulrich’s team in AMA Superbike the following year but was again hampered by injuries. Earlier this season, he captured Superpole at the Silverstone WSBK weekend before finishing fifth in race 1 and seventh in race 2 as a wild card.

John Hopkins:
“I am really happy to be joining up with the Crescent guys again. We had a great year in British Superbike and I’m sure we can continue that in WSB. I wanted to get back into world championship racing and this is a natural progression from last year. The difference this time is that I will be going to tracks that I already know and have some reference from, so that should make some things a bit easier.

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From a Suzuki press release distributed today:

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF MOTOGP RACING
Team Suzuki Press Office – November 18.

November 18, 2011 17:00 JPN Time ( GMT +9 ) – Suzuki Motor Corporation has decided to suspend temporarily its participation in FIM Road Racing Grand Prix MotoGP from 2012.

This suspension is to cope with tough circumstances mainly caused by the prolonged recession in developed countries, a historical appreciation of Japanese Yen and repeated natural disasters.

Having an eye to returning to MotoGP in 2014, Suzuki will now focus on developing a competitive new racing machine for that class.

Suzuki will continue motocross racing activity and support of road racing activities using mass-produced motorcycles, by obtaining FIM homologation and co-operation with the supplier of its development racing kit parts.

November 18, 2011
Suzuki Motor Corporation

This announcement, much expected from MotoGP insiders, means Randy De Puniet again finds himself looking for a ride late in the game. The Frenchman put in some impressive laps on Rizla Suzuki’s GSV-R during last week’s test in Valencia leaving many to speculate the UK-based team was looking to pick up the former Pramac Ducati and LCR Honda rider if the factory decided to go ahead with plans to race the 800cc Suzuki in the new 1,000cc class in the 2012 season.

Get the inside scoop from David Emmett over at motomatters.com.

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista led the way during yesterday afternoon’s second free practice session at the GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana as he took first place on the timesheets at the wet Spanish track.

Heavy rain started to fall over the 4,005-meter Ricardo Tormo Circuit at mid-day, and by the time Bautista and the rest of the MotoGP riders took to the track it was fully wet. Suzuki’s Spanish star acclimatized to the conditions well and produced consistent quick laps that consolidated his position at the top of the standings. His time of 1’47.975 was more than 0.3 seconds quicker than his nearest rival, and he looks to have a good set-up and a confident riding style for Sunday – if yesterday’s weather replicates itself for the race.

The morning’s practice session started in damp conditions, with Bautista again looking impressive, but as the track started to dry out he found grip difficult to find and finished in 11th place. Already-crowned 2011 world champion, Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, took the honors on the drier track by recoding the fastest time of the day.

Bautista has one more free session this morning followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 30-lap race is the final event of the season, and with inclement weather forecast it looks like being a very interesting and entertaining race.

Álvaro Bautista:
“Today has been a good day for us because we have had a full wet session to get some practice in those conditions. In this morning’s session I had a good feeling at the start, but as the track became drier it wasn’t as good and I couldn’t ride at the limit. The bike moved a lot and was spinning-up all over the track, so it was very difficult. In the second session, after the heavy rain, the track was much wetter and the conditions were a lot worse than this morning for all the riders, so it was essential that you rode smoothly and carefully. We changed some settings in the bike to help me get a confident feeling in the GSV-R and at the end of the session I was able to find a good rhythm. We finished first today and although it’s only the second free practice, you cannot improve as much in the wet as you can in the dry, so this is very good for us. I hope that tomorrow we can make some improvements in drying conditions like we had earlier today, but if it is totally dry we still have plenty of work to do to get ready. I am happy with the first day and looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”

Paul Denning, team manager:
“Winter feels like it has arrived in Valencia and it didn’t look like the most pleasant day to be on a Grand Prix bike out there. That said, cold and low grip conditions were always the situation that caused us the most problems and as we saw at Phillip Island a few weeks back – and again today – the steps that Suzuki has taken with the GSV-R have again proven to be very effective. However, improvements to the motorcycle aren’t enough because you also need a confident and capable rider and Álvaro looked very assured and smooth in the full wet conditions this afternoon – it was nice to see his name at the top of the sheets. I think Álvaro – and everyone else – would prefer some dry, sunny running over the next couple of days, but whatever the weather brings our intention is to push to the maximum and achieve the best result we can.”

GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana Combined Free Practice Classification:
1. Casey Stoner (Honda) 1’45.513
2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.223
3. Valentino Rossi (Ducati) +0.315
4. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) +0.560
5. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +0.595
11. Álvaro Bautista (Suzuki) +1.409

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista crashed out of yesterday’s MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan while fighting for the best premiere class finish of his career.

Bautista started from eighth on the grid and found himself up into sixth early on after narrowly missing the Lorenzo/Rossi/Spies collision in front of him on the first lap. He was then promoted to fourth as Honda’s Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso were forced to complete a ride-through penalty for jumping the start. Then, almost immediately, he found himself in a podium position when race leader Casey Stoner ran off the track.

Bautista held third position for six laps and fought off an attack from Ducati’s Nicky Hayden before Stoner regrouped and began to move back up through the field. Bautista looked comfortable in fourth and began to push to secure his best-ever MotoGP finish but lost the front near the end of the 13th lap and crashed at high speed. He walked away uninjured, but bitterly disappointed.

The 2011 Grand Prix of Japan was a rescheduled race after the initial date was cancelled due to the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country earlier in the year. A crowd of just more than 34,000 showed their support for both the MotoGP racers and the people of Japan. The race was won by Dani Pedrosa, with current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo second. Current championship leader Stoner took the final place on the podium.

Rizla Suzuki now has one weekend off before heading to Phillip Island in Australia for the second leg in a trio of Pacific races.

Álvaro Bautista:
“This was for sure not the result we expected today. I chose the softer rear tyre for the race because the conditions today were colder than yesterday and because for the first laps I needed to be as fast as possible. I didn’t get a good start because some riders jump-started and I was a bit confused by them and when the red light went off I was little bit late. There was a crash on the second corner and I then found myself in a good position. A few laps later some riders entered the pits because they did a jump start and I was then in third, but I knew it was not my real position. When Casey went past me and I saw what the distance was between me and Andrea – who was the next rider – and how many laps were left, I tried to follow Casey and keep the gap to Andrea. Near the last corner I lost the front and crashed and that was the end of the race for me. We worked very hard this weekend and improved in all the sessions, and in the race we were in a good position. Today the luck was just not with us. I am sorry for the whole team because this result would have meant so much to them, and I’m sorry for Suzuki at its home Grand Prix because we wanted to make a good race and a positive result. I have to keep the good things from this weekend in my mind and in the next race we have to keep doing the same things we have done here and keep our heads up.”

Paul Denning, Team Manager:
“When your rider crashes out of fourth position at Suzuki’s home Grand Prix it can only be described as disappointing. However, we have to take the positives from this weekend – the GSV-R performed well in cold and overcast conditions, Álvaro achieved his equal best qualifying and we were running very strongly in the race itself. We don’t quite have the speed of the Factory Hondas or Yamahas – at the moment – but apart from that we can race with anyone in the field, and when the opportunity presents itself – like today – fourth was definitely on the cards. Álvaro’s not stupid and with just over 10 laps to go, and Dovizioso only seven seconds behind, he knew he had to push hard to keep fourth place – fifth or sixth wasn’t going to do it as far as he was concerned. That’s racing; it was a high-speed crash and Álvaro’s completely uninjured, so let’s move on and look forward to the next Grand Prix.”

Grand Prix of Japan Race Classification:
1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 42’47.481: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +7.299: 3. Casey Stoner (Honda) +18.380: 4. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) +23.550: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +23.691: DNF. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP):

World Championship Classification:
1. Stoner 300: 2. Lorenzo 260: 3. Dovizioso 196: 4. Pedrosa 195: 5. Ben Spies (Yamaha) 156: 12. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 67

Álvaro Bautista recorded his best dry race finish of the season so far at Indianapolis today as he raced to an impressive sixth on his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R.

Starting from ninth on the grid, Bautista got a good start and was in seventh at the end of the first lap. He then got involved in a local battle as he fought with the Americans on their home circuit over the next few laps. He got past Nicky Hayden and fought off the constant attacks of Colin Edwards, before resisting the Texan’s advances to leave him comfortably behind.

Today’s race was watched by 64,151 fans at trackside, and under the clear blue skies they saw another convincing victory from Honda’s Casey Stoner, as he took his seventh victory from 12 races to strengthen his championship lead.

Rizla Suzuki now heads straight back across the Atlantic for the next round of the 2011 season, when the San Marino Grand Prix takes place at Misano in Italy on Sunday 4th September.

Álvaro Bautista:
“I am happy with today’s position because this weekend we didn’t have the same rhythm as we have done in the last couple of races. I had a good qualifying session, but I was not quite on par with the top guys and that meant I couldn’t really stay with them and fight in the race. I made a decent start and overtook a couple of riders, but I just couldn’t keep up with the front group. We struggled a bit more at this track because we just couldn’t get the bike to turn how we wanted it to and I think we were not quite at the same level as some of the others around here. I was consistent throughout the whole race and had a couple of good battles with other riders – especially with Edwards – but at the end I got a good rhythm and was able to get some distance on the riders behind. I think today was the best result we could have got – so we did the maximum. We now go to Misano and I think we can be more competitive from the beginning, so I am really looking forward to the race.

“One other thing that was very important was to finish the race as I have crashed in the last two, so I am very happy that I did that! It gives us more motivation and also the team needed a result. I want to say a big thank-you to the whole team for the passion that they showed this weekend and now we are in the best position to make another step forward.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“After showing so much potential in Laguna and Brno – and coming home with nothing – it was great to see Álvaro take the chequered flag today. It was a well won sixth place and it was richly deserved for him and the whole team. I don’t think this is one of the best tracks for us and we were only beaten by the three Repsol Hondas and the two factory Yamahas. This bodes well for the rest of the season, and we’re looking forward to Misano.”

Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix Race Classification:
1. Casey Stoner (Honda) 46’52.786: 2. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +4.828: 3. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +10.603: 4. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +16.576: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +17.202: 6. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +30.447:

World Championship Classification:
1. Stoner 243: 2. Lorenzo 199: 3. Dovizioso 174: 4. Pedrosa 130: 5. Spies 125: 12. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 49:

Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista ended today’s U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in the gravel after crashing out on lap 14.

Bautista made a confident start from 12th on the grid and had moved up a place by the end of lap one. He produced a couple of very strong passes over the next few laps to move into eighth place and join the battle for sixth between the two Ducatis of Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi. Bautista closed the gap on the pair, and it looked like the crowd was in for a repeat of last week’s exciting battle between the three, but unfortunately Bautista low-sided his Suzuki GSV-R and, although he remounted his bike, he was unable to get it restarted and had to retire from the race.

The crowd of 52,670 that gathered on the hillsides that surround the Laguna Seca circuit were again treated to bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine as they witnessed current championship leader Casey Stoner take his fifth victory of the season on a Factory Honda. Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo was second with Dani Pedrosa filling the final podium place.

Rizla Suzuki and Bautista now embark on a short Summer Break before resuming the 2011 season at Brno in the Czech Republic on Sunday August 14th, when Bautista will be joined by John Hopkins who is making a Wild card appearance at the eastern European circuit.

Alvaro Bautista:
“I am very, very disappointed after today and really frustrated because although we did a really good job all weekend, we didn’t get the result we deserved and I crashed. We tried many different things here this weekend and used a completely different setting to last year and we managed to get the same good feeling as we had in Germany. This is the best I have felt on a bike in my MotoGP career so I know things are moving in the right direction. I think we made a mistake on Friday and Saturday because we didn’t try the soft front tyre in the afternoons. I think the hard tyre here wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t give me the feeling I wanted in the corners – the grip wasn’t too bad, but it just didn’t transmit enough information. For the race I started with a hard front and I now think it was a mistake not to use a soft one. I got a good start, but some riders closed up in front of me and I couldn’t get past, but I did make up one place on the first lap. I overtook some other guys and got behind the Ducatis, but I was a bit far away and had to catch them up.

“My rhythm was really good and I had a lot of confidence in the bike, but I lost the front without any reason and crashed. I had entered that corner at the same speed and in the same place in previous laps so I don’t know what happened. I am happy with the work we did this weekend and pleased with my level on the bike. Before the crash I was fighting for sixth or seventh and I know we can be there now and we have to keep working at this level and higher in the next races. We now have some time to relax and charge our batteries, so we can be full-gas for Brno.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“I am really disappointed today for everyone at Suzuki, Rizla, the team itself; and of course for Alvaro. Starting from 12th was never going to make the job easy, but a very aggressive first couple of laps, and then settling in to a good rhythm saw him right back in the fight and another entertaining duel with the Factory Ducatis was on the cards. Equally, once the race settled down, our lap-times were not so different from Dovizioso and Spies battling for fourth, so despite today’s disappointment, there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend at Laguna Seca. We’ll be arriving in Brno with two riders and looking to keep the positive momentum going!”

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Race Classification: 1. Casey Stoner (Honda) 43’52.145: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +5.634: 3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +9.467: 4. Ben Spies (Yamaha) +20.562: 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +20.885: DNF. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP).

World Championship Classification: 1. Stoner 193: 2. Lorenzo 173: 3. Dovizioso 143: 4. Pedrosa 110: 5. Valentino Rossi (Ducati) 108. 13. Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 39.

John Hopkins will race for the Rizla Suzuki team at the Czech Republic round of the MotoGP World Championship at Brno on Sunday August 14; his second appearance of the season for the Rizla Suzuki squad. However, this time he will competing alongside Alvaro Bautista rather than as his replacement.

Hopkins finished a very respectable 10th in Jerez

Hopkins filled in at Jerez while Bautista was recovering from a broken femur and scored a creditable 10th place at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Anglo-American racer last rode at Brno for Rizla Suzuki in 2007 and recorded his best-ever finish in a MotoGP race by bringing his Suzuki GSV-R home in second place – a result that went some way to seeing Hopkins secure fourth place in the Championship that season.

Hopkins is currently in second place in the British Superbike Championship onboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 with the Samsung Crescent Racing team. His next event is at Silverstone in England, when he gets a taste of world championship motorcycle racing as he competes in the World Superbike series, also as a wild card, on Sunday July 29.

John Hopkins:
“It’s a real thrill to get the opportunity to ride at Brno, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m very pleased that we have been able to achieve it because it is something we have been working on for a long time. To be honest, it couldn’t be at a better track for me either. I had my best result in my MotoGP career at that track, and I’m really pumped that I am going there again. As far as the Suzuki goes, I think it’s a great bike, and the package is a lot better than when I last rode it in 2007. I think that in comparison to what I was able to do in Jerez, I believe I will be able to perform a lot better because back then I hadn’t been on a bike in a competitive environment for six or seven months.

“I got thrown in at the deep end in Spain, but this time I will have a lot more race-craft. It’s also a huge benefit for me to be riding alongside Alvaro instead of riding in place of him, so that will be really good; not just for me but for the whole team. With the two of us, we can help develop the bike and share the extra data to get the best out of the GSV-R. It will be better to be riding with him in the team instead of replacing him because nobody likes to see a rider injured, and having more bikes on the grid is always better for everyone.

“I really want to thank everyone at Suzuki for giving me this chance and my Samsung Crescent team back in England for letting me take the opportunity to go back to MotoGP – even if it is just for one ride at the moment.”

Paul Denning, Team Manager:
“Everyone at Rizla Suzuki is looking forward to welcoming John back into the fold for the Brno Grand Prix. It is a track that the GSV-R has gone well at in the past, a track that John really enjoys, and we’ll be doing everything we can to give him a decent platform to get a good result. We also hope that John’s MotoGP experience and data during the weekend will help us find a better solution for both riders and increase our performance overall.”

Rizla Suzuki has made a trans-European journey to Italy from The Netherlands for the eighth round of the MotoGP Championship to be held at the Mugello Circuit this weekend.

Álvaro Bautista will be looking to find a solution to the grip issues that he struggled with last time out at Assen. He is hoping that warmer weather conditions and the new surface at Mugello will assist him as he aims to make himself and the Suzuki GSV-R more competitive this coming weekend. Mugello sees the MotoGP circus enter the second half of its exhausting run of six grands prix in eight weeks, and the Italian track will give the Spaniard a chance to move forward at a circuit he has tasted success at before, winning in the 250cc race in 2007 and finishing in a podium position on two other occasions.

Mugello is located just north of Florence in the stunning Tuscan countryside. It is one of the must-see events on any motorsport calendar. The fabulous backdrop of the mountains coupled with the natural amphitheater of the 5,245m long circuit and the always enthusiastic and colorful Italian fans makes this event a truly memorable occasion. The Mugello circuit is one of the fastest tracks in the world, with average lap speeds of almost 175km/h attainable over its 15 corners and a top speed of 350km/h achievable down the 1.141m long start/finish straight.

Rizla Suzuki, Bautista and the rest of the MotoGP grid take to the track on Friday for two 45-minute long free practice sessions, plus a further practice on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon will then stage the all-important qualifying session, where riders will determine their grid positions for Sunday’s 23-lap race that gets underway at 14:00hrs local time (12:00hrs GMT) on July 3.

Álvaro Bautista:
“I really like the Mugello circuit; it is very fast and great fun to ride at. It holds a lot of good memories for me because it is where I won my first 250cc race in 2007 and I have also been on the podium there a couple of times. Last year I was still struggling with my shoulder injury, but I am going there 100% fit this time and determined to do well. The track has a new surface and hopefully that – and hotter weather – will help us to make the bike more competitive, we are all trying hard and the whole crew deserves a bit of a change of luck, so that we can start to move forward.”