Suzuki's decision to field just a single MotoGP bike in 2011 may have helped save the factory money, but it also left them with a serious problem. Any injury or illness to Alvaro Bautista leaves the Suzuki team riderless, not a situation that Suzuki can afford to happen.
At Sepang, Rizla Suzuki team boss Paul Denning revealed his plan to cover this situation: Denning will be keeping Suzuki's former MotoGP rider John Hopkins on call, to step in for Bautista should the young Spaniard be forced to miss any of the races, the Suzuki manager told MCN and MotoGP.com. Denning already has Hopkins under contract, as Hopper has signed with Denning's Crescent Suzuki BSB team to contest this year's British Superbike championship. Hopkins will get his first chance to get reacquainted with the Suzuki at the final MotoGP test of the year at Qatar, where he will assist the Suzuki team with testing and some promotional work.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/U2FQDwqssFc/john_hopkins_to_get.html
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