Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen were sixth and eleventh quickest respectively after today’s free practice sessions, in preparation for Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril. Hopkins (1’38.471, 49 laps) and Vermeulen (1’39.655, 52 laps) both worked hard to achieve the optimum settings for their respective Suzuki GSV-Rs at the demanding and technically difficult Estoril circuit. The two Rizla Suzuki men were separated by less than two-tenths of a second at the end of the day, as the top 17 riders were covered by only 0.969 seconds, with championship leader Casey Stoner on the Bridgestone-shod Ducati the fastest.
Stuart Shenton is John Hopkins’ Crew Chief and one of the longest serving members of the MotoGP paddock. He has worked with such greats as Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Gardner. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP took some time out of Shenton’s busy schedule to get to know a bit more about the man who keeps the Suzuki GSV-R of Hopkins on the edge of competitiveness week in week out.