American racer John Hopkins is currently unemployed, but according to a tweet he put out today he is in England looking for a ride in the MCE British Superbike Championship.
“Unfortunately after my original 2015 plans to take part in WSBK fell through,” Hopkins wrote today on Twitter, “it left me scrambling to find another ride but with 95 % all rides taken by that point in most all of the top competitive championships, it forced me to take a step back and truly decide whether or not I wanted to continue my racing career or make the very difficult decision to retire…?
“After putting a lot of thought into it and weighing everything up, I came to the decision that there was no way I was going to end my racing career with how it ended in 2014 and I was going to do everything possible to get back out on track and show my true talent, potential and dedication !
“With the 2015 BSB season yet to start, I’ve been speaking to as many team managers as possible trying to put some sort of a deal together and although I’ve had some interest from a couple teams, nothing has been confirmed yet and I’m still vigorously searching and working on putting some form of a deal together even if it is just a ‘trial’ ride for the season opener at Donington Park on Easter Weekend and then take it from there !!!
“I have spent the entire Winter training and riding Motocross so I’m not only ready to go physically but mentally, I’m extremely motivated and hungrier than ever to get back out on track and show my true potential !!!
“After spending the majority of the Winter back home in California, my family and I are now back in the UK so that if a ride did become available and present itself I’m here ready to go ! I am planning on heading up to the official BSB test at Donnington Park tomorrow to meet with a few teams and will continue to do everything possible to work on getting back out on track ! I also just want to say thank you to all my family, friends, sponsors and of course the fans who have stood behind me and supported me all these years ! Again, i apologize for the lack of updates over the past few months but I can promise, I am doing everything possible to get back out on track and will continue to do so until an opportunity arises !!! Thanks again and I will be sure to update everyone ASAP… Hopper”
John Hopkins rose to fame in the United States, where he won AMA Pro Supersport 750cc and Formula Xtreme Championships in 2000 and 2001, respectively. He then moved on to the MotoGP World Championship, where he spent seven seasons and achieved a best race result of second in the Czech Republic GP at Brno and a best Championship result of fourth, both coming in 2007 on a factory Suzuki.
Hopkins switched to the factory Kawasaki MotoGP team in 2008, and when Kawasaki folded that team abruptly in 2009, Hopkins lost his ride and finished the year racing in the Superbike World Championship on a Stiggy Honda. He returned to the AMA Superbike Championship in 2010, and then he came within a fraction of a second of winning the British Superbike Championship in 2011.
Just as Hopkins’ career was starting to turn around in 2011, he badly broke his right ring finger in a crash while racing a Suzuki MotoGP bike as a wild card at Brno. After numerous surgeries, Hopkins had the troubled finger amputated prior to the start of the 2012 season.
In 2012, Hopkins rode for the Crescent Suzuki team in World Superbike, but a hip injury sustained in a crash that season affected his results, ultimately brought his season to a premature end and forced him to sit out all of 2013.
Hopkins returned to the British Superbike Championship in 2014, but a lackluster season on the factory Tyco Suzuki left him on the unemployed rider roster as the 2015 season started taking shape.