HOPKINS FIFTH BUT MORE TO COME FROM RED BULL SUZUKI
09 July 2005 - Suzuki Racing

Red Bull Suzuki racers Kenny Roberts Jr and John Hopkins are convinced they can improve on their positions after the first day''s practice for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.

Hopkins (P5, 1''24.679, 65 laps) and Roberts Jr (P11, 1''25.265, 61 laps) both had an exhausting day at the Laguna Seca Raceway in California. The usual one hour morning practice session was increased to two hours to give all riders the chance to familiarise themselves with the spectacular circuit - it has been 11 years since the last MotoGP race on the Monterey Peninsular.

The morning practice was split into two periods of an hour each. Both Red Bull Suzuki racers were quickly on the pace with Hopkins topping the leader-board no fewer than nine times in the first period.

Today''s practice sessions were held under clear Californian skies and bright sunshine. Track surface temperatures reached 46 degrees centigrade and a strong wing caused a lot of dust from the surrounding run-off areas to blow onto the racing line and reducing adhesion. The fastest time of the day was set by Nicky Hayden on a Honda.

Red Bull Suzuki will have another hour long practice session on Saturday morning followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix will begin at 14.00hrs local time (23.00hrs CET) on Sunday 10th July.

John Hopkins

''I''m really excited to be racing at home and to show all my fans and American motorcycle enthusiasts what MotoGP is all about. I''ve got a lot of supporters out there and right now I want to do the best for them.

''The sessions have been going great. We haven''t been outside of the top five all day and we were in first place for a lot of the morning session. That was alright, but we are really working towards getting better. I would like to think I had an advantage from riding here before so after the first session we were already working on what we were going to use for the race, rather than learning the track.

''I''m looking forward to tomorrow and trying some more Bridgestone race tyres to get the right compound for Sunday. I''m going for that top five or better - that''s it. I''m working hard and I''m motivated.''

Kenny Roberts Jr

''It''s great to be back at Laguna to see the American fans. There''s been a lot of interest already and it''s only going to get bigger as the weekend goes on - this is what America needs as far as MotoGP goes. I have a lot of family and friends here and I am very happy to be racing back here.

''We still have to make some improvements to the bike. We don''t have enough grip to run with the front guys and everything contributes to that. The engine seemed to be working a little better but we will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow - but I''ll be going for it.''

Paul Denning - Team Manager

''It''s been a real busy day today for Red Bull Suzuki. With an extra hours practice and various delays it has seemed non-stop. All the team has worked really hard throughout the sessions. We''ve got through a fair bit of work but neither of the guys is totally happy with their Suzuki GSV-R which is a good sign, as they are both going quite well. We are still searching for more grip and will be working with Bridgestone this evening to find a solution.

''From what I have seen Laguna Seca is a fantastic and exciting place to stage a MotoGP. The fans are very knowledgeable and are extremely supportive of Red Bull Suzuki, especially both riders. I know that Kenny and John are determined to put on a good display for all their fans and family and I am confident that neither of them will disappoint.''

Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Practice Classification

1. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1''24.228: 2. Troy Bayliss (Honda) +0.223: 3. Max Biaggi (Honda) +0.314: 4. Alex Barros (Honda) +0.336: 5. JOHN HOPKINS (RED BULL SUZUKI) +0.451: 6. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.468: 7. Sete Gibernau (Honda) +0.574: 8. Marco Melandri (Honda) +0.710: 9. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.741: 10. Carlos Checa (Ducati) +0.814 : 11. KENNY ROBERTS JR (RED BULL SUZUKI) +1.037:

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