Hopper

I do believe hopper is underrated as a rider and competitor.
However, he doesn't seem to bright. He coulda kept most of the Monster money and gone to WSBK for a season (perhaps being a title contender).
He also could have petitioned yamaha for an extra bike when he got wind of Monster jumping ship.
He hasn't made a peep, which is foolish. Then again, he probably got drunk and missed big meeting instead of dealing with the problem....

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Feb 23 2009, 07:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Ah Pete, you and Austin never miss an opportunity to crap on Hopper, eh.

Do me a favor Pete, name me a man that has won on that machine in the dry during his tenure? You see, the thing is, that when you have a subpar bike, in any given race, you usually have a guy with a great bike in that same race. You only get one winner per race. So that means you're gonna have to tell me a time when the Suzuki was par with the best bike on the grid since 03, then we can talk apple/apples. You know better than that you clown.


Or put it another way, I had a look at his career on his website, and the guy has won jack at world level.

What happened to Kawasaki's results when they signed Hopper? They went backwords, coincedence?

Sorry Jumkie, it's gonna take some hard evidence that the guy can do something useful on a bike at GP level before I will stop treating him as a very expensive also ran.

Pete

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Feb 24 2009, 07:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Or put it another way, I had a look at his career on his website, and the guy has won jack at world level.

What happened to Kawasaki's results when they signed Hopper? They went backwords, coincedence?

Sorry Jumkie, it's gonna take some hard evidence that the guy can do something useful on a bike at GP level before I will stop treating him as a very expensive also ran.

Pete

If I remember correctly he beat his team mate at Suzuki in 07 (Vermeulen)
Hopper still warrants a seat in Motogp. Unfortunately he went for the cash in 08 and it's come back to bite him big time.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clarkjw @ Feb 23 2009, 02:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I do believe hopper is underrated as a rider and competitor.
However, he doesn't seem to bright. He coulda kept most of the Monster money and gone to WSBK for a season (perhaps being a title contender).
He also could have petitioned yamaha for an extra bike when he got wind of Monster jumping ship.
He hasn't made a peep, which is foolish. Then again, he probably got drunk and missed big meeting instead of dealing with the problem....

Yes, I would have to agree on this. All of you HopperCrappers are acting as if he's had multiple seasons on competitive machinery!! ChrisV is a wet weather master, hence the one win.

Throw Hopper on the red Duc, blue Yam or orange Honda and watch him go like stink. The guy's been dealt a raw deal with his poor choice in Kawasaki; yes, maybe he was chasing the $$, but he also needed a change (like Rossi? Hayden? Stoner?) and if they had developed the bike AT ALL in '08, then maybe he would not have had to over ride the damn thing into Highside Oblivion.

Give it a friggin' rest. He ain't riding in 2009, end of story. quit treating him as if his last name was Gobert, first name Ant.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Feb 23 2009, 01:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Ah Pete, you and Austin never miss an opportunity to crap on Hopper, eh.

Do me a favor Pete, name me a man that has won on that machine in the dry during his tenure? You see, the thing is, that when you have a subpar bike, in any given race, you usually have a guy with a great bike in that same race. You only get one winner per race. So that means you're gonna have to tell me a time when the Suzuki was par with the best bike on the grid since 03, then we can talk apple/apples. You know better than that you clown.
The bike was good enough to get him and CV 4th and 6th in the championship. Let's not make the 2007 GSV-R out to be a lump because it wasn't. Was it the GP07? No, but in the right hands it could be a winner (see CV at Le Mans). You can call that a lucky win in the rain if you like, but a win is a win and CV has one and Hopper doesn't. And let's also not forget Hopkins had his chance to sign with Ducati and opted to stay at Suzuki, only to bail for the Monster money when the getting was good at Suzuki.

Like Pete said, it would take some pretty good arguments to convince me Hopkins is anything but an also ran.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tlrwinder @ Feb 23 2009, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Give it a friggin' rest. He ain't riding in 2009, end of story. quit treating him as if his last name was Gobert, first name Ant.
Hopper wishes he was Gobey. Gobert was immensely talented, more so than Hopper could ever dream to be. Gobey pissed away one of the most promising careers in modern motorcycles with drugs and booze, Hopkins pisses away mediocre talent (comparatively) with booze and greed.

Anthony Gobert is a sorry tale, one that really upsets me as I think he could have been a great. Hopkins is just some guy who squids can relate to.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tlrwinder @ Feb 23 2009, 10:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Yes, I would have to agree on this. All of you HopperCrappers are acting as if he's had multiple seasons on competitive machinery!! ChrisV is a wet weather master, hence the one win.

Throw Hopper on the red Duc, blue Yam or orange Honda and watch him go like stink. The guy's been dealt a raw deal with his poor choice in Kawasaki; yes, maybe he was chasing the $$, but he also needed a change (like Rossi? Hayden? Stoner?) and if they had developed the bike AT ALL in '08, then maybe he would not have had to over ride the damn thing into Highside Oblivion.

Give it a friggin' rest. He ain't riding in 2009, end of story. quit treating him as if his last name was Gobert, first name Ant.


Numbers dont lie

Current team Kawasaki Racing Team
Bike number 21
World Championships 0
Race starts 114
Race Wins 0
Podium finishes 4
Pole positions 1
Fastest laps 2
Championship Points 557
2008 Championship position 16th (57 pts )

Hardly set the world on fire has he?


Pete

Hoppers a tricky one. I don't think he has lived up to expectations at all, and he definitely underperformed in 08. On the other hand i think he is Suzuki's best achiever to date in motogp as i think that a higher championship position with less wins is more admirable in the greater scheme of things. He wasn't far ahead of CV either, who having been around for less time and already won a race has arguably got more potential. Additionaly Suzuki seems to have benefitted noticably from the arrival of Capirossi. I think Hopper should be in motogp, but i haven't seen enough to be convinced he should be with a top level team

May as well jump onto this one as my views on Hopkins have been well known in other threads and Jumkie and I have had our discussions, but my views haven't changed.

ClarkJW made an interesting comment that perhaps encapsulates to a degree why I feel the way I do with regards to Hopkins, who is IMO an enigma.

There have been all to brief times over teh years where Hopkins has shown something that would make one think that he does indeed have a high level of talent and does indeed deserve to be seen on the world stage. But sadly, they are either all to brief beforet he bikes is parked somewhere, all to brief in terms of length or as has often been to few and far between. Whatever the cause when he has shown a high level he saldy then seems to not be able to repeat it with any consistency.

So, IMO yes he has talent but I am yet to be convinced that his application of that talent warrants a MotoGP or WSBK berth.

But the word used by ClarkJW that most interested me was 'competitor' and it is here that I started to think maybe this is the crux of what I see as a lot of Hopkins problems (maybe not though).

All riders at this level are competitive and have extremely high competitive instincts, but the use of the word by ClarkJW got me thinking whether Hopkins lacks that innate final component that separates the champion from the also-ran?




EDIT:
To those that have closely followed Hopkins career has it been a 'smooth' ride in terms of teams etc or has he had to fight for recognition and/or higher level equipment?

I ask as I am wondering if the 'kick in the guts' of effectively having no ride may be a spur to get his mind galvanised to the level that it may need in order to utilise his talent.




And Austin.

Totally agree with regards to Gobert who I (and many I know) rate as the most talented motorcycle racer I have ever seen.







Garry

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gaz @ Feb 23 2009, 09:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>To those that have closely followed Hopkins career has it been a 'smooth' ride in terms of teams etc or has he had to fight for recognition and/or higher level equipment?
Past the riders as a youngster, which is difficult for any rider, and the loss of his father which was quite sad, I believe Hopkins has gotten rides without doing much. He was put in touch with John Ulrich through the connections of his father. Ulrich put him on a 250 and Hopper impressed, so Ulrich put him in his team on a 750cc Superstock and then 1000cc Formula Xtreme where he won the title in 2001. He then got the Red Bull Yamaha ride, which was a very formidable ride. Then he got his factory Suzuki gig and the Kawasaki gig. I'm not sure how you go to winning a domestic support championship to one of the most coveted rides in GPs. He showed some promise there and that got him where he is.

I think most of his career is based on the endorsement of John Ulrich, who discovered Kevin Schwantz, billing Hopkins as the next Kevin Schwantz.

I am not a particular fan, but I don't think hopper is all that bad either. His result in 2007 wasn't shabby, and last year he was riding a killawasaki admittedly by his own choice; he and west were somewhat lucky to get out of the season alive. I don't see much evidence that he can develop a bike, not that such ability seems to be common on the grid in general.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Feb 23 2009, 12:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Sorry Jumkie, it's gonna take some hard evidence that the guy can do something useful on a bike at GP level before I will stop treating him as a very expensive also ran.
Rossi, (on the best/2ns best bike on the grid) came third to Hopper's fourth in the MotoGP classification. Had Rossi been on the Suzuki, would he have earned the 3rd position?

That is proof enough.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Feb 24 2009, 08:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Rossi, (on the best/2ns best bike on the grid) came third to Hopper's fourth in the MotoGP classification. Had Rossi been on the Suzuki, would he have earned the 3rd position?

That is proof enough.

I don't think that suzuki was far behind the Yamaha and Honda, if at all.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Feb 24 2009, 08:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Rossi, (on the best/2ns best bike on the grid) came third to Hopper's fourth in the MotoGP classification. Had Rossi been on the Suzuki, would he have earned the 3rd position?

That is proof enough.
There's a difference between "proof!" and "speculation" mate Im not sure vale would win a title on the zook or the kwak (wouldn't bet against it tho) but im pretty damn sure if they swapped bikes rossi would still own his ... just like he did biaggi and hoppers no biaggi !

Thought you hated Hopper, you forgotten laguna 07

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Feb 24 2009, 09:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I don't think that suzuki was far behind the Yamaha and Honda, if at all.
what do you base that on?

IMO they were on the right tyres, the bike was still not that good...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Feb 24 2009, 02:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>There's a difference between "proof!" and "speculation" mate

Thought you hated Hopper, you forgotten laguna 07
Yeah, yeah, I know, but I think you got my meaning.

Oh, and 07 was not Hopper's fault. (Never said it was, and didn't have any bad words for the guy).

Anyway, well according to Tom: Yamaha=Honda=Suzuki. wow. What next: Ducati=Kawasaki?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigAl @ Feb 24 2009, 10:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>what do you base that on?

IMO they were on the right tyres, the bike was still not that good...

Well the bike was quickest in testing, had the right tyres and didn't suffer from the chronic problems that plagued both honda and Yamaha. Additionally both riders were able to extract a similarly solid performance from it, rather than the team being divided by one superstar rider getting decent results while the less skilled riders struggled badly, as was the case with the other factories. I feel CV and Hopper and CV are both riders who, all things being approximately equal would find themselfes in the 4th to 10th bracket and thats exactly where they wound up.

As a side note to those who's critisism of Hopper is based around the idea that he inconsistently displays his ability, you may be interested to know that John was the most consistent rider in the 2007 championship.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Feb 24 2009, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Hopkins is just some guy who squids can relate to.



On topic, Hopper obviously showed promise early on his career and also showed that on a decent bike without major injuries he is able to get results (2007) so I wouldn't list him as a complete non-talent grid filler. I always felt he got into GP too young and would have benefited from working his ... off in a few more classes before getting there.

But as far as personality and work ethics go, well er yeah...
I do get the financial aspect to that Monster deal, you only have that many years to make a living in motor racing (and one injury can end that career). It is not like Hopper has other skills to get him through life. However, getting drunk on the job is a no-no. Especially after you get caught playing and get your ... kicked by the missus. And any rider who has a bacon! sandwich for breakfast on race day is in my opinion not exactly professional either.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Frizzle @ Feb 23 2009, 01:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>If I remember correctly he beat his team mate at Suzuki in 07 (Vermeulen)
Hopper still warrants a seat in Motogp. Unfortunately he went for the cash in 08 and it's come back to bite him big time.

How so? he made 5 freakin' mil !! That's equivalent to 5 years worth of salary for other riders on the grid at his talent level, although i have no clue how much the other riders make it can't be near what Hopper made as far as being a rider who is only subpar....in this case one who hasn't even won a MotoGP race yet.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sally @ Feb 24 2009, 06:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>any rider who has a bacon! sandwich for breakfast on race day is in my opinion not exactly professional either.
Why ?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Feb 24 2009, 07:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'> Why ?


Coz he's ......................





Sorry I cannae help it, I have tourettes when it comes to the guy.

Pete