After a dramatic crash in Assen last Friday – in which Stiggy Racing Honda’s John Hopkins dislocated his hip and was left out of contention for the remainder of the race – the American has successfully undergone surgery in his home country, and has started his recovery. Although Hopkins will miss the forthcoming rounds in Monza and South Africa, he is expected to make full recovery and compete again for the team in the US round at the Miller Motorsport Park. The new entry to the Superbike Championship suffered a very unlucky first day of qualifying in Assen, after he high-sided off his bike in the early minutes of the free practice session. He wash rushed to the local hospital were his dislocated hip was put back into place, but had to undergo further surgery to fix a fracture in his left femur. The unfortunate American – who only made his second appearance with the Stiggy Racing Honda Team – flew back to the USA, where Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Ting – who has treated Hopkins in the past – successfully conducted the surgery to his left hip on Monday morning. Hopkins remains eager to continue what he had started on the first: seeking to become faster on the Stiggy Racing Honda, and following his successful team-mate Leon Haslam into the top 5 of the World Superbike field. John Hopkins: ” I have never been in so much pain in my whole life even though I have been in a few crashes! I was thrown into the air and landed on he track with my feet first. After an agonising wait in the hospital, I felt slightly better when my hip was put back into place, but on Saturday morning I just felt like I had been run over by a train. Fortunately, my wife made a surprise visit to see me in Assen and supported me throughout the long flight back home. I had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Ting on Monday morning to get a clear indication of the sustained injuries, and set a realistic plan for my recovery. I will now start my therapy in a couple of days and have set my goal on being ready to race again in the US round. It is a shame this nasty crash happened, as the bike felt really good straight out of the box on Friday morning, and was looking forward to competing for a top position”. Dr. Ting, Orthopedic Surgeon: “John suffered a posterior fracture dislocation of his left hip. When he arrived here in Fremont on Sunday, we did a CT scan which showed us the fracture of his femur. He was taken into the operating room on Monday morning where his fractures in the hip joint and pelvis were fixed with five solvable screws. John already walked out of the hospital on crutches, and will start training again within 2 weeks. I expect his full recovery to take up to 6 weeks, but with John anything is possible”. Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager: ” Im really pleased with the outcome of John’s surgery. I have big confidence in Dr. Ting’s knowledge, as I know he is one of the best surgeons for these specific injuries. Dr. Ting has helped me with some of my injuries in the past, so I know for a fact that he is one of the best. I know John is tough and determined to come back to race as soon as possible. He will train hard to make a speedy recovery, and I’m sure he will be joining the team again shortly. Hopefully he will be ready to compete again in the US round, that would be great for all of us”.