Grapevine: Liuzzi, Hopkins swap rides at Valencia

The Italian Toro Rosso driver took to the track with the Rizla Suzuki bike, while Hopkins drove Liuzzi's Formula One car following the end of the MotoGP season at the Spanish circuit.

Liuzzi was a delighted man after the seat-swap.

"It was an orgasm. It was really great," said Liuzzi. "I've always loved bikes but after today, I love them even more, because the guys who race these are unbelievable and not human. The bike is like a crazy horse and it is really difficult to keep the front end down.

"I was trying, but I kept something in reserve because I could feel the shadow of Franz and Gerhard (Toro Rosso team bosses Tost and Berger) telling me to be careful as I am testing in two weeks. I think you just need to take more risks than I was prepared to take today.

"The way you tackle the lap is very different on two wheels, as the most important thing is to have the balls to keep the throttle open.

"It was a fantastic adrenalin rush. The most amazing thing about the bike was the grip, as you can lean right over. Unbelievable. I would love to have a race on this bike." 

Hopkins was also thrilled with the experience.

The American lapped the circuit in 1:19.80, around five seconds off a competitive F1 driver's time at Valencia.

"I've been looking forward to today for weeks now," said Hopkins. "Ever since I had the seat fitting, this experience could not have come soon enough and today was a dream come true.

"At first it was a bit overwhelming, looking at all the buttons on the steering wheel, but once I understood the most important thing is to keep the heat in the tyres under braking then it all got easier.

"It's easy to say you can do this but when the time actually comes, it's quite a challenge and I spun it a couple of times. Then I began to get the hang of braking very late and on my final run I got a feeling for the car moving around underneath me.

"I could feel it drifting and I could sense the front end pushing coming out of the corners. I was trying my hardest and going for it without being reckless."