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LawrenceMedia - press release:
Crash ends miserable French Grand Prix for Hopkins
LE MANS, France - The French Motorcycle Grand Prix went from bad to worse for Suzuki rider John Hopkins. Sunday\'s race ended in a high-side crash after only two laps were completed, this after Hopkins had suffered two crashes on Saturday. It marked the first non-classified finish for Hopkins this season.
\"This is one of those weekends I\'d just as soon forget,\" said a battered Hopkins. \"My shoulder was the worst thing, but now my whole body is bruised and I can\'t tell what hurts the worst.\"
The crash, which happened during the third lap while Hopkins ran in 13th, left Hopkins bewildered. \"I don\'t know what I did wrong,\" he said. \"It happened mid-turn under neutral throttle. I did the same thing I\'d done the lap before. It was like every crash I had this weekend - no warning. It\'s frustrating when you don\'t know the reason you go down.
\"We changed the engine mapping to deal with the ultra-slick track. Maybe that had something to do with it, it\'s hard to say. I probably made a bad tire choice. I went with a cut rear (slick) and a full rain front. We thought it would dry out a little more than it did.\"
The team has canceled scheduled testing and Hopkins will try to rest and heal before the next round in Mugello, Italy.
\"Basically I\'m just going to rest for the next couple of weeks,\" Hopkins said. \"I\'m pretty discouraged right now, but things like this are part of racing. I just have to move on.\"
Hopkins dropped from 10th to 14th in the world championship standings.
