John Hopkins official...WSBK!!! shit is on now!!

[cowpoos]

Hopkins joins WSBK with Stiggy Honda
MotoGP exile John Hopkins has confirmed he will join the World Superbike Championship with the Stiggy Honda team from Valencia onwards.

Hopkins has been heavily linked with Johan Stigefelt's team in recent weeks, but only now, having seen his last chance of reunification with Kawasaki come to nothing, has a deal been signed.

Although it isn't currently clear whether Hopkins will ride a third Honda CBR1000RR or replace one of Stiggy's existing riders, the American revealed that he will be on the grid with the team from the third round of the championship at Valencia, Spain.

Thanking Kawasaki for allowing him to pursue other projects, Hopkins, who follows in the footsteps of Max Biaggi, Makoto Tamada and Shinya Nakano, is excited by the challenges that face him.

“Kawasaki and I worked it out where both parties left the relationship happy, and I am thankful to Kawasaki for letting me ride their bikes and race in their program,” Hopkins, who will bring valuable Monster backing with him, said. “I'm excited about racing in the 2009 season and solely putting my focus on moving forward.”

Hopkins had been tipped to make a World Superbike move from the moment Kawasaki confirmed it was withdrawing from MotoGP for financial reasons back in January.

However, while Hopkins was in line to replace the then-injured Roberto Rolfo at the start of the season, the prospect of a revived deal with Kawasaki – under the Hayate banner - is thought to have stalled negotiations. Only when it was apparent that Hayate would be built around Marco Melandri, did Hopkins reignite his Superbike plans.

Joining Ben Spies in increasing America's prominent involvement in the series, his arrival will be seen as another huge boost for the rapidly ascending production series.

Although he joins a privateer Honda team, Stiggy have already shown they are capable of good results in 2009 having helped Leon Haslam to a podium in their first meeting at Phillip Island.

[cowpoos]

WSBK is heading for one of the most wicked seasons ever...now it COULD get a whole lot better!!

[wbks]

Kind of leaves the pinnacle of racing as the guy who never quite got in a groove so has to leave to a lesser league... Well thats the negative view of it.

Last time I heard about stiggy honda and hopkins, stiggy was sternly denying any rumours.

Still, it'll be better more competitive racing than MotoGP, I bet. I doubt John would have done any better with Hayate so good riddin's, I guess.

[discotex]

Fark what a lineup it is in WSBK this year. So far the racing has been tight and exciting. Throwing JH in the mix can only make it better (assuming the bugger gets given a competitive bike for once).

[White trash]

I'm a HUGE Hopper fan, but I don't particularly believe that's the correct team for him. Not that I have any basis for my opinion and am probably full of shit, I doubt e'll mount any real challenge to the front runners.

Perhaps a case of "Any port in a storm"?

[cowpoos]

I'm a HUGE Hopper fan, but I don't particularly believe that's the correct team for him. Not that I have any basis for my opinion and am probably full of shit, I doubt e'll mount any real challenge to the front runners.

Perhaps a case of "Any port in a storm"?
bet you a dollar your wrong!!


Oh and good quote dude...any port in a storm...hmm...what did happen to sallo??

[White trash]

bet you a dollar your wrong!!


Oh and good quote dude...any port in a storm...hmm...what did happen to sallo??
You're on mate. One dollar sez Hopper does not challenge the lead of more than two races for the remainder of the season.

And to your second point, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[cowpoos]

You're on mate. One dollar sez Hopper does not challenge the lead of more than two races for the remainder of the season.

And to your second point, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
challenge for the lead...hmm...I say two podiums + and your on!!

[Crasherfromwayback]

Will blow Hopkins (and everyone else) into the weeds.

[Wingnut]

WSBK is heading for one of the most wicked seasons ever...now it COULD get a whole lot better!!

Perhaps - as long as it doesn't turn into a one horse race ie. Spies.

[sosman]

Sweet the WSBK just gets better & better,so far only john koscinski has come from 500/Motogp to WSBK & Won the championship.... in the same year too! & Carl Foggy became Aron Slights team mate & still racked up more wins than Aron if I remember right....

[Wingnut]

Hey whats the situation with Melandri these days???

[Crasherfromwayback]

Hey whats the situation with Melandri these days???

MotoGP on the only Kawasaki on the grid

[Crasherfromwayback]

Sweet the WSBK just gets better & better,so far only john koscinski has come from 500/Motogp to WSBK & Won the championship.... in the same year too! & Carl Foggy became Aron Slights team mate & still racked up more wins than Aron if I remember right....

Pretty sure the year Johnboy won it Foggy was on his Duke. And the year was full of wet races...and Koscinski is a rain master. I also think if you meant Foggy won more races on the Honda than Slight did...you'd be wrong.

[slowpoke]

I also think if you meant Foggy won more races on the Honda than Slight did...you'd be wrong.

Yup, comparing Foggy and Slight on the same bike was illuminating to say the least. Not strictly a fair comparison given Slights experience on the Honda but Foggy was a long way back.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Yup, comparing Foggy and Slight on the same bike was illuminating to say the least. Not strictly a fair comparison given Slights experience on the Honda but Foggy was a long way back.

Maybe. But REALLY great riders adapt pretty quickly to any bike. Spies on his new Yamaha. Rossi to Yamaha. Lawson from Yamaha to Honda and back again...I think Foggy was fucking lucky the rules always favoured Ducati when he was riding them. I really don't think he would've won a championship if he was anything else.

[roadracingoldfart]

All the action in WSB and bloody Bayliss quit LAST year . Thats a shame, and i would love to see him against the teams and riders now as they stand.

My pick for the year , Haga 1st , Max the Man will be somewhere in the top 4 and Spies is not a proven crash healer so i dont lookl at him as a WSB champ yet. The way he rides its got to end in tears soon surely.

Paul.

[roadracingoldfart]

You're on mate. One dollar sez Hopper does not challenge the lead of more than two races for the remainder of the season.



Im with you there.:whistle:


.

[Crasherfromwayback]

and Spies is not a proven crash healer so i dont lookl at him as a WSB champ yet. The way he rides its got to end in tears soon surely.

Paul.

He sure is mate. Won his second (I think it was) AMA Superbike title from Mladin with a badly broken hand. He's a hard c*nt.

[Badjelly]

Although it isn't currently clear whether Hopkins will ride a third Honda CBR1000RR or replace one of Stiggy's existing riders, the American revealed that he will be on the grid with the team from the third round of the championship at Valencia, Spain.

...

However, while Hopkins was in line to replace the then-injured Roberto Rolfo at the start of the season, the prospect of a revived deal with Kawasaki – under the Hayate banner - is thought to have stalled negotiations. Only when it was apparent that Hayate would be built around Marco Melandri, did Hopkins reignite his Superbike plans.

Rolfo is out:

http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/News/144248/1/stiggy_confirms_rolfo_exit.html

[roadracingoldfart]

He sure is mate. Won his second (I think it was) AMA Superbike title from Mladin with a badly broken hand. He's a hard c*nt.


Ohh Pete stop being a smarty bumm .:confused:

i sit corrected . But seriously , just the hand , what a wowser.


:msn-wink:

[gav]

Yup, comparing Foggy and Slight on the same bike was illuminating to say the least. Not strictly a fair comparison given Slights experience on the Honda but Foggy was a long way back.
Foggy had 4 race wins on the RC45 in the one season he raced it, how many did Slight have that same season?
And when was the last time John Hopkins won a race?

[Quasievil]

bet you a dollar your wrong!!




You will be wanting a loan then bro ?

[Matt Bleck]

If Ant West's Stiggy 600 is anything to go by, old big ears will be at a disadvantage before he leaves the pits.

[roogazza]

Ohh Pete stop being a smarty bumm .:confused:
i sit corrected . But seriously , just the hand , what a wowser.


I thought a wowser doesn't drink, isn't 'bigears' a pisshead ? G.

[slowpoke]

Maybe. But REALLY great riders adapt pretty quickly to any bike. Spies on his new Yamaha. Rossi to Yamaha. Lawson from Yamaha to Honda and back again...I think Foggy was fucking lucky the rules always favoured Ducati when he was riding them. I really don't think he would've won a championship if he was anything else.

Yep, fair comments mate.


Foggy had 4 race wins on the RC45 in the one season he raced it, how many did Slight have that same season?
And when was the last time John Hopkins won a race?

Foggy won some races alright but considering he was on a factory honda ride he struggled (4th in championship?), and he's admitted as much himself. He's a good rider but personally I don't see him as one of the greatest ever in spite of his record. Just like Doohan, the question always remains: How much was man, how much was machine? Guys like Lawson and Rossi have well and truly answered that question with championship wins on different bikes.

Hopkins? He won an AMA Formual Extreme title as a teenager so he's no mug. The only factory rides he's had have been the worst in the paddock so it would have been interesting to see him on a decent bike. I hope he gets the chance in years to come.

[cowpoos]

You will be wanting a loan then bro ?
yeah...if I lose....but...if your offering...trashy will probally need one in he lose's too....

[BarryG]

Having watched Ben for the last few years over here, and most particularly at Road Atlanta last season, he is a very complete racer. Seldom tosses it down the road, Incredibly focussed, ever fast from the go, honed by his battles with a hard man in Mladin, it's honestly not a surprise that with the Yamaha as good as it obviously is, he's already won 3 out of 4. You knew he had found his place at that frist test at Portimao at the end of last year - on top or very close his first time out at a brand new track on a brand new bike.
Haga/Ducati must be gutted and shaken right now, I reckon!
Valencia will be interesting, a different style of track to the first two rounds, but Ben will be at the sharp end, no doubt.
WSBK has overtaken MotoGP in so many ways for the sheer quality of the field and the racing. Dorna must be pretty gutted too!
Cheers
Barry