Hopkins On MotoGP Podium
Young American’s first taste of the champagne.
Young American John Hopkins finally stood on a MotoGP podium and got to watch the Stars and Stripes being hoisted aloft. Hopkins had his first taste of the best champagne in the world, the sort they provide on the winner’s podium.
It was not the top step and they did not play the Stare Spangled Banner, but after 82 races, this is a significant result for him and the Suzuki team. The team has been in the wilderness since another American, Kenny Roberts Jr., won the World Championship in 2000.
Hopkins has threatened good results this year, despite problems with crashes and injury. In Shanghai Hopkins appears to have recovered from his throttle hand injury and showed great speed to be the top Bridgestone tire qualifier. It took an amazing lap from seven times World Champion Valentino Rossi, with Michelin tires on his Yamaha, to beat Hopkins for pole.
Hopkins lost ground in a frantic start as championship leader, Australian Casey Stoner on a Ducati, surged past Rossi to take the lead at the end of the first lap. Once the race settled down Hopkins started closing the gap to the front pair. When Rossi made a mistake in a desperate late braking move on Stoner, Hopkins moved to second place. However, Rossi recovered and re-took second place in a late race battle with Hopkins.
The news was not so good for the other Americans, Rossi’s teammate, former World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards. Edwards continues to struggle with his Yamaha on Michelin race tires. The Texas Tornado loved the feel of the softer Michelin qualifying tires and put in the third best time to start the race on the front row. Once the red lights went out Edwards went backwards and ended up in eleventh spot just ahead of Nicky Hayden on a Honda.
Hayden, the reigning World Champion from Kentucky, got forced off the track in a first corner melee caused by Spaniard Tony Elias, and lost a lot of ground to the field. Hayden kept fighting, as he always does, and recovered to twelfth spot to add four points to his season’s tally. After a poor start to the season for Honda and Michelin, a new frame and revised engine for Hayden’s machine were combined with front forks from 2005 to try and improve the Honda’s performance.
While Hayden, struggles Stoner and Ducati are showing impressive early season form and consistency. This is Stoner’s third win in four races and the only realistic challenger so far for his title aspirations is Valentino Rossi, and you can never count him out.
Casey Stoner holds the winner's trophy in China
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