It’s starting to become a bad joke for the Anglo-American rider, but John Hopkins has had to withdraw another wild card opportunity. Citing complications with the finger he broke back the Czech GP, Hopper has unfortunately had to call it quits in Sepang before Sunday’s race. Re-breaking the knuckle on his third finger on his right hand, Hopkins awoke yesterday to a swollen and immovable joint, which made riding the Suzuki GSV-R an impossibility.
Surely a disappointment for the talented rider, who has made no secret about his desire to get back into MotoGP, the move is also a blow to Rizla Suzuki, which as hoping to get some buzz this weekend, as the team negotiates plans for the 2012 MotoGP season with the Japanese factory. Hopper will stay in Malaysia to support the team throughout the race and cheer on teammate Alvaro Bautista, before he heads back to America for surgery.
“I knew my hand was sore after yesterday afternoon, because it was hurting when I was riding,” explained Hopkins. “It is definitely a lot more painful riding a MotoGP bike than it was the British Superbike, mainly due to the immense braking forces on the GSV-R. I woke up just before six this morning and I had quite a bit of pain so I tried to loosen it up and bend it, but that wasn’?t an option. The screws and the plates in the finger have come apart and there’?s just no movement in the knuckle at all, so I cannot bend the finger. If I get any further damage to the injury it could result in amputation and [sic] certainly don’?t want that!”
“My Doctor is totally confident that he can fix it, but I just haven’?t been able to rest it and give it the proper time needed to repair it over the last six weeks,” continued Hopper. “I thought it would be fine to ride this weekend and had every hope of it working, but I didn’?t expect the amount of force that goes into riding a GP bike would cause such a problem. I am so sorry for the team and Rizla Suzuki, because they have given me such a great opportunity again and now I can’t ride past the Friday – it’?s heartbreaking and I can’t express my disappointment. It’?s such a shame and I couldn’t be more upset, but the priority now is to get it fixed and get myself ready for the 2012 season.”
Source: Rizla Suzuki
Comments