2011 BSB Highlights

Katsuyuki Nakasuga to replace Lorenzo for Malaysian Moto GP

Yamaha YZR-M1 test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga has been drafted in to replace injured Yamaha Factory Racing star Jorge Lorenzo for this weekend’s Grand Prix of Malaysia.

Reigning World Champion Lorenzo received an injury to the ring finger of his left hand during the Sunday morning warm up session prior to the Grand Prix of Australia. He has since received surgical treatment and is now recovering at home in Barcelona.

30yr old Nakasuga-san is a current Japanese Yamaha test rider with an excellent working knowledge of the YZR-M1 and Bridgestone tyres. He is also competing in the 2011 All Japan Road Racing Championship, JSB1000 class, and is currently third in the standings.

A decision on Jorge Lorenzo’s participation in the final race of the season at the Grand Prix of Valencia will be made within the next two weeks.

Rider Profile

Name: Katsuyuki Nakasuga

Date of birth: 9/08/1981

Age: 30

Nationality: Japan

Place of birth: Fukuoka

Team: YSP Racing Team with TRC (current ranking 3rd - Series not yet complete)

Championship series: All Japan Road Racing Championship, JSB1000 Class

Career:

- 2000/2004: All Japan RR GP250 class (best ranking 5th)

- 2005/present: All Japan RR JSB1000 class (2008/2009 Champion, 4th in 2010

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2011 Japan Road Race Championship In Okayama R7 Highlights

２０１１ ＷＳＢＫ Ｒー１３

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) and Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) traded wins at the final round of the championship in Portugal in a day that promised and delivered close racing in hot weather conditions in front of an 86,000 crowd. Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli almost gave the new-for-2011 team its first race win in race one, but Checa prevailed at the end.

Checa’s championship season win tally now ends on 15, part of a total of 21 podiums in 26 races, with six pole positions and 11 fastest laps. His points total reached over the 500 mark today, with his final tally 505 – the second highest ever in a single WSBK season.
Behind Carlos, the fight for second had already been already decided in Melandri’s favour but his determination to succeed in race two underlined how much his presence has brought to the series this year. He has now scored four race wins in his rookie WSBK season, as part of a total of 15 podium places.

The fight for third place looked set to swing in favour of Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) when Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) qualified only 17th, but after Laverty no scored in race one the 2010 champion did just enough today to secure third, on the same 303 points as Laverty, but with better results in the count back of podium places. They had tied on race wins, having scored two each, but Biaggi had far more second places than Laverty – nine to Laverty’s three.

Tissot-Superpole winner Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) continued his remarkable turnaround of late season form with two third places today and ninth overall. Leon Haslam had a tough final day for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team, scoring ninth and 15th places, but still ending up fifth in the championship, the top S1000RR rider of the year. Leon’s team-mate, WSBK legend Troy Corser signed off his career today, riding a specially painted racebike to signify this momentous day for the former double champion.

Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) was on good form and equalled his season best finish of fifth in race one, then scored eighth place to finish top Kawasaki finisher, 11th overall. Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) went 11th and 14th in Portugal, and was 12th in the championship standings.

Race 1 It took Checa some time to get on terms with the long time leader Guintoli but he made a final pass with only a couple of laps go, and took a final advantage of 2.860 seconds at the flag. Third went to early leader Rea while a remarkable comeback from 17th on the grid meant that Biaggi overhauled the ever-improving Lascorz to take fourth place after 22-laps of pure effort. Melandri faded in the later stages to go sixth, while a brilliant ride from privateer Maxime Berger (Supersonic Ducati) put him seventh, his best single result of the year.

Carlos Checa: “It was not easy at all, at the beginning I was struggling because we made a difficult choice about the hard tyre. We knew we would be more consistent at the end, but it was also difficult to overtake Marco and then Johnny, and to catch Guintoli was not easy at all. The win is because we made the right choice, and a good job. I want to dedicate this victory and the championship to Genesio and all the team because they deserve the victory.”

Results: 1. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 38'13.293 (158,587 kph);
2. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 2.860;
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 8.481;
4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 11.963;
５. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 13.333;
6. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 18.960;
7. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 20.489;
8. Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 25.320;
9. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 26.695;
10. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 26.801;
11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 27.115;
12. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 28.563;
13. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 31.765;
14. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 31.822;
15. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 31.866;
16. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 47.694; etc.

Race 2
Melandri and Laverty gave their official Yamaha squad a 1-2 finish in the final race of the 2011 season, with Rea posting third place after his late attack on Laverty was rebuffed. The top three were separated by only 1.363 seconds. Checa held off the resurgent charge of Guintoli to take fourth place in the 22-lap race. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) and his team-mate Biaggi went sixth and seventh, Lascorz eighth.

Marco Melandri: “After race 1 I was a little bit disappointed because we had a tyre problem, so in race 2 I was stronger at the beginning when I saw Eugene in front I tried to catch him and wait a bit because I wasn’t fast at the beginning. It’s been a great season for me, and to give Yamaha a win in the last race is awesome. I just want to say a big thanks to Maio Meregalli, Marco Riva, all my team and all the Yamaha guys, they did a great job, especially when they knew we were pulling out at the end of the season.”


Results: 1. Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 38'11.326 (158,723 kph);
2. Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 1.075;
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1.363;
4. Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 2.648;
5. Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 3.355;
6. Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 4.709;
7. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 6.514;
8. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 14.441;
9. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 19.128;
10. Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 25.527;
 11. Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 26.400;
12. Giugliano D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 26.646;
13. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 26.963;
14. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 30.209;
15. Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 30.951;
16. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 31.057; etc.

Final points: 1. Checa 505; 2. Melandri 395; 3. Biaggi 303; 4. Laverty 303; 5. Haslam 224; 6. Guintoli 210; 7. Camier 208; 8. Haga 176; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 529; 2. Yamaha 450; 3. Aprilia 422; 4. BMW 275; 5. Kawasaki 228; 6. Honda 194; 7. Suzuki 169.

World Supersport
Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO) scored his sixth win of the year, from the closing David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) and one-time second place rider James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda). The top three were within 1.415 seconds of each other. Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO) slotted his R6 into fourth place, 5.522 seconds from his team-mate and the 2011 champion Davies. Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) and Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com) no scored after a crash for Lowes and a collision with Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) for Parkes. Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) finished 12th, and thus Salom finishes second in the championship on the day he celebrated his 27th birthday. The final points read Davies 206, Salom 156, Foret 148 and Parkes 136.

Results: 1. Davies C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 35'31.062 (155,145 kph);
2. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1.253;
3. Ellison J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1.415;
4. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 5.522;
5. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 21.658;
6. Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 24.490;
7. Roccoli M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 25.506;
8. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 32.271; etc.

Final points: 1. Davies 206; 2. Salom 156; 3. Foret 148; 4. Parkes 136; 5. Scassa 134; 6. Lowes 129; 7. Ellison 99; 8. Marino 89; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Yamaha 251; 2. Honda 230; 3. Kawasaki 197; 4. Triumph 36.
Superstock 1000
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Ducati) secured the final win of the year in a race shortened to 11 laps after a technical issue with the starting lights. A distant second place went to Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) after a close fight with Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini by Leoni) and fourth placed Bryan Staring (Kawasaki Pedercini Team). The absence of champion Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) - who stepped up to the Superbike class today - means that Giugliano finishes his stellar year with an unchanged 171 points, Petrucci now has 169, Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) 148 and Barrier 132.

Results: 1. Petrucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 19'31.819 (155,18 kph);
2. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 8.019;
3. Morais S. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 8.115;
4. Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 8.364;
5. Zanetti L. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 9.354;
6. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 9.466;
7. Baz L. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 9.664;
8. Massei F. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 16.030; etc.

Final Points: 1. Giugliano 171; 2. Petrucci 169; 3. Zanetti 148; 4. Barrier 132; 5. Canepa 109; 6. Antonelli 77; 7. Baroni 74; 8. Reiterberger 69; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 240; 2. BMW 193; 3. Kawasaki 99; 4. Honda 85; 5. Yamaha 16.
Superstock 600
Dutchman Michael vd Mark (Ten Kate Honda Junior Team) did all he could to win the championship at the final round, but despite his race victory Australian Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha) secured his first title in this division, finishing fourth in today’s contest. Second in the race and the championship was American rider Joshua Day (Revolution Racedays Kawasaki), with van der Mark finishing third in the final points, with only one less than Day. Tomas Krajci (TK Racing Slovakia Yamaha) was a fighting third taking the final podium place and Riccardo Russo (Trasimeno Yamaha) was fifth. The final points scores are Metcher 150, Day 138 and van Der Mark 137.

Results: 1. Vd Mark M. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 18'11.759 (151,418 kph); 2. Day J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX-6R 3.787; 3. Krajci T. (SVK) Yamaha YZF R6 9.180; 4. Metcher J. (AUS) Yamaha YZF R6 11.700; 5. Russo R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 11.919; 6. Lombardi D. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 15.560; 7. Morbidelli F. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 18.821; 8. Vitali L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 20.194

Final Points: 1. Metcher 150; 2. Day 138; 3. Vd Mark 137; 4. Lanusse 101; 5. Lombardi 96; 6. Russo 94; 7. Duwelz 67; 8. Covena 50; etc.

2012 WSBK calender

2012 World Superbike and Supersport Championship calendar

1.February 26 – Australia, Phillip Island
2.April 1st – Italy, Imola
3.April 22 - The Netherlands, Assen
4.May 6 – Italy, Monza
5.May 13 – Europe, Donington
6.May 28* - United States, Miller Motorsport Park
7.June 10 - San Marino, Misano
8.July 1st – Spain, Motorland Aragon
9.July 22 - Czech Republic, Brno
10.August 5 - Great Britain, Silverstone
11.August 26 – Russia, Moscow Int. Raceway
12.September 9 – Germany, Nürburgring
13.September 23 – Portugal, Portimão
14.October 7 – France, Magny-Cours
* Monday race and WSBK only.

BACK-TO-BACK FLYAWAYS IN AUSTRALIA AND MALAYSIA FOR DUCATI GP TEAM

The Ducati Team is headed to the first of two overseas races that in the space of two weeks will take the Italian team first to Australia and then to Malaysia. The Phillip Island Grand Prix is one of the most popular rounds among the MotoGP riders because the circuit that twists along the Bass Strait features an old-style layout that is fast and flowing, and spectacular to ride.

Apart from 2006, when their best result was fourth place, the Ducati Team has always finished on the podium at Phillip Island. As for Valentino Rossi, he has enjoyed no fewer than seven victories there in his career, plus another six podium finishes. On Friday, the Italian will be testing the readiness of the hand that he injured in the crash in Japan, and he’ll also try continue the good progress he made there with the GP11.1’s setup.

Nicky Hayden is also a great admirer of the Down Under circuit, where he owns the lap record (2008), and where he will be celebrating his 150th Grand Prix this weekend. He has climbed the podium three times at Phillip Island, and he finished fourth last year with the Ducati.

VALENTINO ROSSI, Ducati Team
“At Motegi, despite the outcome of the race and what the consequences of the crash turned out to be, there were a number of positive aspects. We worked well on the bike’s balance and setup, and in the end, from that point of view, we had one of the most positive weekends of the season. Phillip Island is another track where the Ducati has always gone well, as have I, so we hope to be able to work as well as we did in Japan. As far as my hand is concerned, the swelling is reduced, and we still have a couple of days before we go on the track. We just have to wait for Friday morning to see how it reacts.

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Team
“Phillip Island is definitely one of the highlights of the year, because everything about it is special. It’s fast, flowing and really fun to ride. The big question mark is always the weather. We can get rain, wind, cold and sun, all in the course of one race weekend. Casey has won a lot of races there for Ducati, and I should have been on the podium there last year, except that I left the door open for Vale to beat me. It’s a good track for me, and although I know it won’t be easy, I really hope we can do well. I’ve got Simoncelli coming for me in the points, but I’m not really thinking about that. I’d just like to try to get a good result on Sunday, when it counts.”

VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager
“Phillip Island is one of the circuits where our bike has always gone well, and it’s one where Valentino has posted many wins. Nicky also loves the track, so our goal is to be able to continue the good work we did in Japan with both riders. We’ll have the unknown of Vale’s hand injury, but he was able to rest and recuperate over the past few days, so we hope it won’t give him any problems.”

PHILLIP ISLAND CIRCUIT RECORDS

Circuit Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda – 2008), 1:30.059 – 177.803 Km/h
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1:28.665 – 180.598 Km/h
Circuit Length: 4.448 km
2011 MotoGP Race: 27 laps (120.096 km)
2011 MotoGP Schedule: 4:00 p.m. Local Time

2010 PODIUM: 1st Casey Stoner, 2nd Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd Valentino Rossi
2010 POLE: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2010), 1:30.107 – 177.708 km/h

DUCATI TEAM’S BEST RESULTS AT PHILLIP ISLAND
2010: 1st (Stoner)
2009: 1st (Stoner)
2008: 1st (Stoner)
2007: 1st (Stoner)
2006: 4th (Gibernau)
2005: 3rd (Checa)
2004: 3rd (Capirossi)
2003: 2nd (Capirossi)

Suzuki Moto GP #19 Bautista: a decision in Australia

Suzuki will make a decision about its 2012 plans in time for the Australian Grand Prix. Saying so was Lucio Cecchinello, owner of Team LCR, who has put the Spanish rider at the top of his wish list for next season.


"Left hanging" by Andrea Dovizioso, after the Italian signed with Team Tech 3 Yamaha, the team owner is now running out of time to find another option.


"I was really hoping that Andrea would make a different decision, but I respect his choice - Cecchinello told GPone.com - now we will decide on our rider within a week.  Our preference is for Alvaro Bautista, but he won't decide until he hears from Suzuki.  Carmelo Ezpeleta told me that we'll learn of Suzuki's plans at Phillip Island, so a solution isn't far off."


Obviously Alvaro would prefer to stay at Suzuki where he is their top (and only) rider, but an offer to ride a Honda could be quite tempting, especially depending on the type of support available from HRC.


"As alternatives we have maintained contact with John Hopkins and Randy De Puniet, but Bautista is our first choice," Cecchinello concluded.
Bautista also received an offer from Ducati to rider one of their satellite machines
www.gpone.com

Motorcycle Eye training

Driver training in the past has dictated that scanning the road in front of us is good. But how rapidly should it be done? What are we scanning to find? 

What do we do with it once we’ve found it?

Our instinctual visual system is geared to spot danger. Any unpredictability about where we are now, and where we will wind up, triggers our survival instincts. Reaction times to recognize a situation are typically in the .35-second range. In near-panic, that same visual instinct commands us to look at what will happen in that same period of time and space. Target fixation can be the unwanted, negative result.

There may be rare exceptions, but riders don’t target-fixate on things that are out in the distance. Our survival instinct wants to know what is going to happen within the bounds of its minimum recognition time to a danger. Unfortunately, target fixation isn’t really looking; it’s more of a hypnotic transfixing. At 30 mph we travel 44 feet per second (fps). That .35-sec. is 15 feet, or about two bike lengths, ahead of you. 

 That isn’t enough time or space to make an intelligent evaluation and initiate effective corrective actions. Concurrently, we often lose our peripheral field of view which gives us vital information on our speed and is essential to our depth perception.

To combat these problems, you can experiment with ways to retrain the system and gain positive control over it. This will help you establish a “scan rate” to improve your visual comprehension of the space in front of you.

Practice finding a scanning rhythm before you even get on your bike. You can set a rhythm using your heartbeat or pulse rate as a timer for each shift of your eyes. 1) Move your eyes and refocus at another location in time with each beat. 2) Linger on the object just long enough to access your peripheral view. Even though our peripheral field is always alive, it takes a little internal “mental nudge” to switch it on. 

Don’t try to identify details, just have an awareness of it. 3) Once the wide view fills in, move on to the next object, and the next, etc. You can also refocus every two heartbeats to find the scope of what seems to give an optimum rate of eye movement and wide-view access. That establishes your optimum resting scan rate. When driving or riding, use that same rhythm as best you can.

Consciously look ahead and consecutively spot objects to the right, left and straight ahead of you: painted lines, parked cars, telephone poles, discolorations on the road’s surface—anything that catches the eye. Don’t make this complicated; just look forward and think “there, there, there” as you sequentially choose objects that border the space you are in. Once you’ve got something spotted, linger on it just long enough to allow your peripheral awareness to open up.

Overly rapid eye movements defeat the purpose of doing the exercise—it isn’t a contest to see how many places you can locate per second. Just move on to the next one in a leisurely manner. Find a timing for your eye movements that suits you.

In tight, blind corners, this drill becomes more difficult. The eyes automatically scan along, tracking the curvature of the corner in quick stops and starts. In most cases, you won’t be able to hold each stop long enough to allow your peripheral awareness to fill in. At this point, do your best to hold some peripheral awareness as your eyes do their natural scan.

www.motorcyclistonline.com

2011 BSB champion decide by 0.006 seconds!

Swan Yamaha's Tommy Hill has won the 2011 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship after beating John Hopkins to the line by just 0.006 seconds for second place to win the title by two points after an epic final lap as the title protagonists fought for the crown. HM Plant Honda's Shane 'Shakey' Byrne won the final race of the season.
A frantic opening lap saw Michael Laverty take the initial lead but Byrne then hit the front with a move at Druids, whilst the Swan Yamaha rider went wide on the exit which allowed James Ellison, John Hopkins, Tommy Hill and Jon Kirkham ahead.
Byrne then gradually edged out his lead but behind the tension was building between the leading Title Fighters as Ellison maintained his position ahead of the championship contenders Hopkins and Hill as the pack were inseparable with Laverty sixth. Kirkham then crashed out of contention at Druids to end his race, but he still had done enough to win the BSB Riders Cup.
Byrne continued with his impressive pace to double up on wins but the intensity of the battle for the title was increasing over the final laps as Josh Brookes began to also close in on the pack and he passed Laverty at Paddock Hill Bend on the 14th lap to move fifth.
Hill was desperate to get ahead of Hopkins as he knew it was his only chance of the title and he looked set to make the move at Clearways but it wouldn't stick as he put his American rival under increasing pressure. Laverty meanwhile got the better of Brookes to regain fifth which he would hold until the end of the race.
The penultimate lap saw Hill make a move at Paddock Hill Bend to move second, but Hopkins was instantly on the attack and Hopkins dived down the inside at Surtees as the battle to become champion intensified. Hill held the advantage as Hopkins fought back hard as the pair swapped places five times on the final lap. The first came from Hopkins at Surtees as he retook second before Hill reclaimed it into Westfield. The American hadn't given up though and he again made a pass at Sheene Curve before Hill barged ahead at Stirlings. Hopkins looked set to take the position back into Clearways but it became a drag to the line as Hill crossed the line by just 0.006 seconds to win the title.
Ellison took a strong fourth place ahead of Laverty and Brookes. Michael Rutter ended his season with a seventh place as he held off Graeme Gowland, Peter Hickman and James Westmoreland.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship final, Brands Hatch:

1. Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +4.434s
3. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki) +4.440s
4. James Ellison (Sorrymate.com Honda) +4.679s
5. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) +4.782s
6. Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.785s
7. Michael Rutter (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) +12.253s
8. Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +15.963s
9. Peter Hickman (Tyco Honda) +16.130s
10. James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +24.203s

Final MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings:

1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 647
2. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki) 645
3. Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) 625
4. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) 601
5. Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 598
6. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 526

www.britishsuperbike.com

#21 John Hopkins, My goal is MotoGP

John Hopkins will be a World Championship rider in 2012. That much he is certain of.

The 28-year-old, looking to complete a stunning career revival by winning the British Superbike title this weekend at Brands Hatch, has made no secret of his desire to return to MotoGP next season.

Hopkins was a full-time grand prix rider from 2002-2008 - starting at Red Bull Yamaha and finishing with a year at Kawasaki. In-between, Hopkins rode for the factory Suzuki squad, with whom he took four podiums and fourth in the 2007 world championship.

Injuries at Kawasaki, which then withdrew from MotoGP at the end of 2008, marked the start of a downward spiral that Hopkins feared he might not overcome.

But MotoGP team manager Paul Denning still believed in Hopkins, and an agreement was reached for the Californian to race for Denning's Samsung Crescent Suzuki BSB team in 2011.

"I took the best option to jump-start my career," said Hopkins, during an exclusive interview with Crash.net. "It was like coming home to a second family."

A rejuvenated Hopkins soon repaid Denning's faith, taking his first BSB win in round two and he leads the championship by eight points heading into the Brands Hatch decider.

"It's been a huge learning curve," said Hopkins. "The tracks, the competition... I've done MotoGP, AMA and some World Superbike races, but I've never had fiercer competition while racing than in BSB.

"I knew the [Showdown] points' system would favour me because my main aim was to stay in the top six and learn the new tracks, but we didn't expect to win so early and we've stayed where we wanted to be."

Regardless of the championship outcome, Hopper's achievements in BSB, WSBK (on pole as a wild-card at Silverstone) and as a MotoGP stand-in for Rizla Suzuki this season mean he is on the wanted list of several teams for a 2012 grand prix ride.

"My goal is to get back to MotoGP. My mind is set so that anything else is just a stepping stone to MotoGP," said Hopkins.

"I have a whole new approach to racing and my career. I am more mentally tough and more driven than I've ever been. If you want to be the best, then you have to race the best, and I still believe the best are in MotoGP."

The obvious MotoGP choice would be a return to Rizla Suzuki, but the factory's Japanese bosses are yet to confirm their 2012 plans and Hopkins - also linked to LCR Honda - warned that he can't wait forever.

"I'd like to continue the relationship with Suzuki, but everything is still a bit unknown with their MotoGP plans," he said. "Paul has said that everything [at Suzuki] is still on hold and I'm not going to let anything slip through my fingers by having to wait too long.

"This entire year for me has been about trying to lock-up the British Superbike Championship, so I'm not concentrating on anything else until I finish that. Then, on Sunday night, I'll start trying to make a decision."

Should a 2012 MotoGP ride prove impossible, Hopkins has 'plenty' of World Superbike options.

"At the end of the day, I want to progress." he said. "Even if we don't get back to MotoGP next year, there are plenty of competitive options on the table in World Superbike.

"So regardless, I'll be world championship racing next year. That I can say is certain."

Also for certain is that Hopkins will be back in MotoGP, for a third 2011 appearance with Rizla Suzuki, during the Malaysian Grand Prix from October 21-23.

The #21 finished tenth as a replacement for the injured Alvaro Bautista at this year's Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, before being forced to withdraw from a wild-card ride at Brno due to a hand injury in practice.

Should Hopkins seal a 2012 MotoGP ride, he would be the only rider other than seven-time world champion V.Rossi to have raced in 500cc.

MotoGP is moving to 1000cc engines for 2012.
www.crash.net