After being left out in the cold by Kawasaki following their withdrawal from Moto GP in 2009,John Hopkins has come to a settlement with them and has now been signed by the Stiggy Honda WSB team run by Johan Stigefelt.

Hopper will join Brit Leon Haslem in the team and is yet another ex Moto GP star to join the ranks of, in my opinion, the best world class racing championship.

He may well be in for a surprise, if the experiences of Max Biaggi are anything to go by when he first joined the championship. Max was surprised at how straight off the line all riders were going for it (technical term!) and jostling for position, whereas in Moto GP the start appears to be slightly less hectic.

Hopper was resportedly the highest paid rider on the Moto GP grid in 2008 as part of a 2 year contract with Kawasaki, after having been relatively successful with the Rizla Suzuki team. However, the bike, and possibly the rider, never lived up to expectations and Hopper regularly languished at the back of the field together with teammate Anthony West.

So, can we expect to see better things from Hopper in World Superbikes?

You’ll have to wait until the next round at Valencia to find out.

It will certainly strengthen the already strong paddock of riders having him there.