Team Suzuki Rizla+

JOHN HOPKINS / CHRIS VERMEULEN

JOHN HOPKINS #21:
Date of Birth: 1983-05-22
Place of birth: Ramona (CA), USA
Residence: San Diego (CA), USA
Race number: 21

Career Highlights:

1998  Two years after earning the Expert License, John wins a WSMC Formula One Race and several CMRRA (Southern California) Championships.

1999  Champion of the Aprilia Cup Challenge Championship (winning 3 races and taking one 2nd place). Wins the Suzuki GSXR600 Cup Series Final and finishes runner-up in the Suzuki GSXR 750 Cup Series Final. Also wins 4 CCS Championships at Daytona Race of Champions. Début in the AMA 600cc Supersport (10th place) and AMA 750cc Supersport (5th place) at Loudon.

2000  Champion of the AMA 750cc Supersport (3 wins and 6 podiums out of 9 races). Vice Champion in the Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Championship, taking 7 wins and two 2nd places along the way. Also, wins the Formula USA Sport Bike races at Daytona and Road America.

2001  Wins the AMA Formula Extreme Championship and gets Red Bull Yamaha MotoGP Team to sign him for a full-time job the next season.

2002  Ends his first MotoGP season in 9th place. Best result comes in Catalunya, where Hopkins rides his Yamaha all the way into 6th place.

2003  Quite disappointing season for John, who ends the season in 17th place (29 points) on his very first year with Suzuki inside the MotoGP class.

2004  Although scoring 45 points, John still can't manage to climb higher places in overall classification and finishes the season in 16th place.

2005  John Hopkins out-betters his previous performance in 2004 and finishes the season in 14th place, level on points with 13th place Kenny Roberts (63 points). Best result of the season comes at Motegi (5th place).

2006  John finally makes the Top 10 inside the MotoGP class with Rizla+ Suzuki and PUIG windscreens, after managing two 4th places at Shanghai and Catalunya. The American ends the season in 10th place, with 116 points.

CHRIS VERMEULEN #71:
Place of Birth: Brisbane, Australia
Date of Birth: June 19th 1982
Nationality: Australian
Home Town: Yandina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Marital Status: Single
Eyes: Hazel
Car: 1954 Ford F150 Hot Rod, 1928 Hopmobile Hot Rod& 1957 Buick -
and a Suzuki Grand Vitara
Motorcycle: Suzuki RM250, DRZ125, VZR1800 abd the Suzuki GSV-R
Favourite Food: Italian, Pizza and Pasta
Favourite Drink: Ice Break Iced Coffee
Favourite Film: American Grafiti
Favourite Music: AC/DC, Metallica, Rammstein, etc
Ideal Holiday: Sunshine Coast, Australia
First Race: 1988, Motocross
Racing hero: Wayne Rainey and Mick Doohan
Favourite Sports: Motorsports, Training & Surfing

Career Highlights:

2006: 11th place overall in first full MotoGP season. First MotoGP podium (second in Australia). Two MotoGP pole positions (Turkey and USA). Eight top 10 finishes.
2005: First MotoGP race at Phillip Island, Australia. World Superbike Championship runner-up - six victories.
2004: World Superbike Championship - fourth place. Four victories. 2003: World Supersport Champion. Four victories, four runners-up places, three pole-positions. Youngest ever WSS Champion.
2002: World Supersport Championship -seventh. Two pole-positions, two podium finishes.
2001: World Supersport Championship. 17th place. Three top 10 finishes.
2000: World Supersport debut - best finish sixth.European Superstock debut - one win.British Supersport and Superstock Championships. First Supersport win. Five Superstock race wins.
1999: Australian Superbike Championship - Privateer Champion.
1998: Began Road racing. Two race wins on 250cc GP machine.
1993-1997: Dirt Track racing. 10 State titles. National runner-up three times.