Team M4 Monster Energy Suzuki’s AMA American Superbike racer John Hopkins revealed last month that injuries sustained in crashes years ago had left him with pain from arthritis and restricted movement due to scar tissue in his right wrist. It got so bad during the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike event at the physically-demanding Auto Club Speedway that Hopkins admitted his wrist “locked up” during the races and he had to roll the throttle of his GSX-R1000 Superbike open with the palm of his hand. On March 30, Hopkins underwent a minimally-invasive surgical procedure to remove scar tissue in hopes of restoring a full range of motion in his right wrist, but the procedure “wasn’t any miracle cure or anything,” Hopkins told Roadracingworld.com Friday at Road Atlanta. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. I’ve still got some pain, but I went from having about 15-20% movement to about 55-60% movement. So we did get that improvement. “It’s still a little bit painful, but I’ve found a new doctor, Dr. David Sales. I think his help is making a difference. I’m really gonna start working hard with this guy, and he’s pretty positive we’re gonna get some results out of it. I’ve only been working with him for a week and a half, two weeks doing rehab on it everyday, and I’m already noticing a difference. I feel 10 times better than what I did going into Fontana, as far as the wrist goes.”