On the Record: John Hopkins

Crescent FIXI Suzuki World Superbike racer.

On the Record: John Hopkins

Five out of six doctors, all very highly respected surgeons, deemed my wrist unfixable, that it would have to be fused. Basically, I was left to retire at 26 years old. That's when I found Dr. James Chao in San Diego. He said he could fix it, that it was going to be a massive surgery—a complete reconstruction using a lot of modern technology—but I would have movement in my wrist. He saved my career.

The AMA SuperBike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park in September, 2010, was my first race back, and I was able to get on the podium. Three weeks later, at Barber Motorsports Park, I did back-to-back podiums. I was still in quite a bit of pain. I had no movement in my wrist for a year and a half, and the tendons had shortened so much that getting movement back was a really painful process. But I could actually twist the throttle. Previously, I had to use my entire forearm; it was a terrible way to ride.

My personal life completely changed, and I stopped drinking alcohol. I wanted to work my way back into the world of motorcycle racing. I got my best-ever MotoGP result, a podium, at the last race of 2007 in Valencia, Spain, and I left Suzuki on good terms. I had stayed in touch with Paul Denning, and we put together the deal for British Superbike last year. It's a competitive series, supported by international media, and I really enjoyed it.

After injuring my finger last year at Brno on the Suzuki MotoGP bike, trying to ride the final BSB showdown rounds and then separating it the fourth time in Malaysia, from infections to the eventual amputation, all of that went on pretty much the entire winter. I started physical therapy, got some strength back, then crashed in Australia and broke the same hand.

In total, my arm was immobilized for five or six months. I had no strength; my forearm was the smallest it's ever been. I've always used my entire hand for braking. I still have some strength in my finger, and I bring the lever in far enough where the tip of the finger catches. But when I'm exiting a corner on the throttle, the only thing I have left is my pinky.

Our bike is a little underpowered, and we're struggling for acceleration and top speed. It's tough. My crew chief, Leslie Pearson, and I spend hours every afternoon trying to do what we can on a computer because we don't have the luxury of testing. We have an entire notepad full of stuff we'd like to try, but I'm trying to get my confidence back, and not knowing a lot of the circuits, we have to go with what we know on the bike.

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is an older machine, and our bike is not a whole lot different, speed-wise, from what it was last year when I raced BSB and World Superbike at Silverstone. Everyone else has made vast improvements, especially from last year to this year. We're waiting for the power to come from Yoshimura, which I'm very much confident will come.

Last year, I did the groundwork; I put down the concrete. This year, I've really got to start doing the building. Unfortunately, with the lack of testing at the beginning of the season, we started at a severe disadvantage to the others, but I'm starting to build my confidence again. There's a lot more to improve, and I think we can be on the podium within the next few races.

I feel lucky—actually, grateful—for the low that I hit in my life. I'm a much better, more well-rounded person than I was before, and I don't take anything for granted. I'm so much happier, and I'm enjoying myself again on the motorcycle.

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