    |
 |
|
|
|
Hopkins qualifies on second row at Jerez;
JEREZ, Spain - John Hopkins turned in his best qualifying run of the young 2003 Motorcycle Grand Prix season Saturday in Jerez, Spain, when he put the factory Suzuki GSV-R on the second row for Sunday\'s Grand Prix of Spain. Hopkins clocked in a lap of 1:42.579 on the GSV-R late in Saturday\'s session qualifying him seventh.
The fast run surprised the 19-year-old Californian.
\"We ended up making that run on the old chassis,\" said Hopkins, the youngest rider in MotoGP. \"With about six minutes left in the session we put on a soft tire and I went for it. When I came around and saw the 42.5 on the board I had a big smile on my face. That\'s by far the fastest I\'ve ever gone around Jerez.\"
Hopkins tested a new chassis for the GSV-R and liked it, but the A-bike had a lot of engine and electrical gremlins, so the team decided to concentrate on setting up the B-bike with the old chassis.
\"The new chassis is stiffer and it holds a lot better line through the turns,\" Hopkins explained. \"I like it so the team is going to switch everything over from by B-bike to the new A-chassis for the race.\"
The Suzuki team got a great morale boost when Hopkins\' teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr., turned in the fastest time in the first practice session on Friday. The team\'s turnaround was so dramatic this weekend that many speculated that Suzuki had flown in special motors for Jerez, but team manager, Garry Taylor said that was not the case and gave his explanation of the squad\'s sudden improvement.
\"People keep asking if we have anything new, but there is nothing radical,\" said Taylor. \"We\'re trying little things all the time, but nothing substantial. This circuit plays to our strengths, and suits our bike in its current state of development better than the previous two. We\'re trying hard to maximize that. I think Friday was a good day, because we have a sniff of being competitive, and the change in both riders is remarkable. I\'m not saying they weren\'t trying hard before, but give the dog a sight of the rabbit and he\'ll go after it every time.\"
Hopkins is eager for the race, but realistic about his chances.
\"Our bike is proving to be pretty strong running sticky qualifying tires,\" he explained. \"but not as good on harder race tires, especially when they start to wear out late in the race. My plan is to get a good start and stay in the lead group. Hopefully we can gap the rest of the field so that I\'ll have enough of a cushion for when the tires start to go off. I\'ll need a that early cushion to have a good result.\"
Final Qualifying Grid:
1. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1:41.983
2. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 1:41.993
3. Max Biaggi (Honda) 1:42.124
4. Tohru Ukawa (Honda) 1:42.258
5. Valentino Rossi (Honda) 1:42.276
6. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 1:42.285
7. John Hopkins (Suzuki) 1:42.579
8. Nobuatsu Aoki (Proton) 1:42.609
9. Olivier Jacque (Yamaha) 1:42.643
10. Carlos Checa (Yamaha) 1:42.711
11. Colin Edwards (Aprilia) 1:42.711
17. Kenny Roberts Jr. (Suzuki) 1:43.026
19. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1:43.474
