Hopkins fighting fit for Showdown this weekend

Added on Friday, September 9th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

John Hopkins returns to the racing fray this weekend for this year’s Showdown event at Donington Park, after sitting out Cadwell Park due to injuries sustained at Brno.

Despite missing the races at Cadwell, Hopkins still qualified in third place, out of the six established Title Fighters. He’ll start the three-round battle at Donington Park four points behind Honda’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Yamaha’s Tommy Hill.

After injuring his hand at Brno in August, Hopkins had to have pins inserted into his middle fingers, but these were removed on Tuesday, leaving him with full articulation in his hands – and fighting fit for the Showdown.

He said: “I’ve been keeping up my fitness and exercising my hand so I expect to be able to push right from the get-go. I know Donington Park well from my MotoGP years, I love the place, so I’m right on the game there.

“I’ve been waiting for this phase of the championship to start, and now it’s here I can’t wait to get stuck in. I can sense this weekend is going to be fantastic, we’re all going to be going for it and it’s my intention to be right at the very front!”

His team manager, Jack Valentine, says that the American rider is fit and ready for the weekend’s event, adding: “To say Hopper is ready would be an understatement. He’s is literally ‘pulling the pin’, or pins, as we speak. We’ve stayed in contact as he’s been recuperating back at his home in the States and he’s certainly fired-up for this weekend, he’s really up for it and I think we can expect him to come out fighting.”

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