American John Hopkins has re-signed with U.K.-based Crescent Suzuki to compete in the 2012 World Superbike Championship.
Hopkins raced with Crescent Suzuki this season in the British Superbike Championship, posting an impressive 16 podium appearances including five wins to finish second in the series. His BSB success earned Hopkins wildcard rides in WSBK and MotoGP.
As expected, Suzuki has officially announced its withdrawal from MotoGP racing, though the Japanese manufacturer says it plans to return to the world championship in 2014.
Suzuki cites the recession, the value of the Japanese Yen and a series of natural disasters as reasons for suspending its MotoGP program for at least two years.
Reports of Suzuki’s withdrawal began circulating earlier this week with some staff members reportedly receiving notice late last week, but signs of Suzuki’s impending withdrawal have been around for over a year.
British Superbike racing team Crescent Suzuki announced it will enter the World Superbike Championship next year, but Suzuki racing fans are perhaps left with even more questions about the 2012 racing season.
Crescent Suzuki will enter two riders on GSX-R1000 superbikes next season, but the team has not named its riders or described the level of support it will receive from Suzuki.
This season, Crescent Suzuki fielded John Hopkins and Jon Kirkham with Hopkins falling short of winning the championship thanks to a photo finish on the season’s final race. Hopkins looks like an obvious choice to stay with the team next year but the American racer has his eyes set on earning a ride in the MotoGP championship. Hopkins is currently in Malaysia for this weekend’s MotoGP race with the Rizla Suzuki team, and his wild card entry is nothing less than an audition for all the other teams hoping to compete in the series in 2012.
