I have made my share of stupid decisions on a dirt bike, so I don’t intend to sound too self righteous. Nevertheless, what was Suzuki thinking when they let John Hopkins compete in the Suzuki Supercross Crossover Challenge in San Diego Saturday?
For those of you wondering what the Suzuki Supercross Crossover Challenge consisted of, let me tell you. Athletes from various sports, outside of supercross/motocross, such as snow boarding and, yes, even motorcycle roadracing, competed in a race on the same supercross track ridden by Chad Reed and company during the AMA Supercross event in San Diego.
I watched the Suzuki Supercross Crossover Challenge from the stands in San Diego, and witnessed local road racer Jeremy Toye “case” a double jump very, very hard. I have now learned that Toye broke both of his ankles during that landing. What I didn’t realize at the time was that road racer John Hopkins (of the Suzuki MotoGP team) had crashed on the same track during practice earlier that day, breaking both of his ankles. Hopkins required surgery from noted orthopaedic surgeon Arthur Ting to repair his ankles.
Although Hopkins is reportedly a very talented motocross rider, with plenty of experience, I doubt he has much experience on a hard-core supercross track like the one in San Diego. Regardless, it makes little sense to us here at MD that Suzuki (the sponsor of the event, and Hopkins’ employer) would allow him to compete so close to the beginning of the MotoGP series in April. Indeed, Hopkins publicist indicates Hopkins will miss at least one of the MotoGP tests conducted to prepare for the season (but he is expected to make the opening race on April 18).
We certainly agree that motocross riding is a great way to stay fit, and sharp, if you are a road racer. Just stay away from supercross tracks . . . far away.
