    |
 |
|
|
|
Silver Bullet is one of only a few Websites worldwide that receives Desiree Crossman`s newsy behind the MotoGP scene column (not always PC) reporting on #21 John (Hopper) Hopkin`s MotoGP exploits and her own as they travel the globe.
Check out - HOPPER`S WEBSITE:
You can send your support to John - HERE:
Hello from windy Estoril, Portugal.
I apologize for not writing yesterday. On Thursday night the wind was blowing pretty hard and it kept me up all night so I had to get in some zzzz\'s after the session. Nothing much happened really yesterday anyway.
Last night after my short nap, we went to Cascais to a Grand Prix Tour party with about 10 Americans. We stayed for an hour chatting away with the guests while they asked questions regarding the bike and such. It was cool, I think they were happy we came and we were happy to meet them. They were pretty cool.
Today it was a bit windier. Pretty much clear skies and it was warm but the wind was going strong. Still is as I write this. In the first session, John\'s side of the team made some minor improvements and were working on setup for the race. The team got new exhausts to keep the noise down, it sounds alot quieter now. Kenny was doing well in the first sesssion too, he was in the top 10 for awhile and was improving his time little by little.
Any crashes? Well I know Sete crashed in the 2nd session and wanted to make sure the gravel was up to par cause\' he ran off a few times as did a few others. Jeremy crashed too on the 2 stroke. The first turn I think I can honestly say is notorious for run offs. From a mechanics view, depending on the bike and how the set up is, it can either be a first gear turn or second gear turn which I\'m guessing could throw some riders off guard and they don\'t slow down fast enough. Either way it goes, some just end up riding in the gravel. Anyway, Nori crashed too but bounced right back up. Capirossi ended up getting pole and Olivier has been doing really well these past 2 days. Yesterday he was 2nd, and today, before I walked out of the garage he was sticking to 5th. Good for him, it\'s about time we see him up there. It seems as though the Yamaha\'s go good around here.
As for John, he seemed to have tire problems during the session. From what I got out of it, they were concentrating on finding a race tire for tomorrow, which I hope they found. The bike was at it\'s limit which is no surprise but we\'ll see tomorrow. The race is always a different story. Until then, from windy Estoril, I will write more tomorrow. Tomorrow will be one of the busiest nights for all the teams cause\' there will be alot of packing going on.
Speak manana,
Des
