From a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS SIGNS WITH SUZUKI FOR 2005

VALENCIA, Spain (Oct. 29, 2004) – John Hopkins re-signed with Suzuki today in Valencia and will again ride with the factory’s MotoGP squad in 2005. Next season will be the young American’s fourth year in MotoGP, the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing, and his third season with Team Suzuki.

“I’m really excited about coming back with Suzuki next season,” said the 21-year-old Hopkins. “The team made major improvements to the bike this year and if we can continue that I think we can be a real contender next year.”

This season has witnessed Hopkins score his first front-row qualifying position (second in Japan) and his best ever MotoGP finishing result (sixth in Portugal). During the second half of this season Hopkins has built momentum that has solidified his position as one of rising stars in the world championships.

“I signed just before lunch today and it lifted a big weight from my shoulders,” Hopkins said. “Suzuki’s commitment to its racing department is tremendous and we have new people coming on board with the team bringing fresh ideas to the table.”

Hopkins cited Paul Denning, the newly named Suzuki team manager for 2005, as a person he’s looking forward to working with.

“Paul is really motivated,” Hopkins explained. “He’s determined to see the team put in the effort it needs to be successful. He seems on the ball and ready to go. The team’s momentum is already rolling this year and I’m optimistic that we’ll take it to the next level in ’05.”

Hopkins was eighth in preliminary qualifying at Valencia, but is confident that he’ll be able to put it in the top five tomorrow.

“My last lap was ruined today in a crazy move by Ruben Xaus,” he said. “Fortunately we have Saturday’s session still to come.”



TEAM SUZUKI SIGNS HOPKINS FOR 2005
Team Suzuki Press Office, Valencia, Spain – October 29, 2004.

Team Suzuki MotoGP is pleased to announce that they have reached agreement with rider John Hopkins to stay with the team for 2005 where he will continue a two-year association as team-mate to Kenny Roberts Jr.

The contract was signed at the Valencia GP after concluding negotiations that began early in September.

“I’m pretty excited to be staying with Suzuki,” said Hopkins.

“The commitment and improvement they have shown over the last year, and that they have promised for next year, makes it a great prospect.

“It will be an exciting season next year with several riders moving to different teams and bikes,” the 21-year-old Anglo-American rider said. “Staying with Suzuki is good for me. I’ll have the same crew and we have built up a very good working rhythm together.

“It’s also exciting because we have a new team manager, Paul Denning, who I met for the first time this weekend. He seems very dedicated and focused on what needs to be done to get Suzuki back on top,” said Hopkins.

“Now we have everything agreed, it means that next year is already under way. Now I can concentrate now on the rest of this weekend,” he added.

Paul Denning, who takes over management of the factory Suzuki team next year, said: “Suzuki had some hard decisions to make for our rider line-up, for a variety of reasons.

“In the end, we decided that performance had to be the most important criterion and therefore we chose to stay with John.

“He is the youngest rider on the grid and this year we’ve seen how he has gained experience in his riding and with the Suzuki GSV-R’s many technical parameters,” he continued.

“We believe John has the potential to be one of MotoGP’s brightest future stars and as Suzuki improves, we hope we can grow together,” said Denning.