Hopkins confident of strong return to MotoGP at Brno

The Superbike racer will ride a second factory Suzuki in the Czech Grand Prix, alongside team regular Alvaro Bautista, who he had previously substituted for in Spain while Bautista recovered from a broken leg.

"When I rode at Jerez earlier in the year I'd had no real 2011 racing experience so it was a bit 'in at the deep end,'" said Hopkins.

"It was also the first time I'd raced with my wrist working properly since the operation, up until then it was still healing and the few times I'd been on a bike in 2011 had been for pre-season tests and the filming shoot at Qatar.

"Now I feel that I have gained more confidence and I'm riding better than ever. I'm really pumped that the race is at Brno because it is one of my favourite tracks and I hope I can go well."

Hopkins last raced in MotoGP full-time in 2008, before his then-employer Kawasaki withdrew. He has subsequently focused on Superbikes, racing in the British series this year but also making a one-off return to the World Championship recently.

"This is my third race in as many weeks and I am really looking forward to it," he said. "It's been very busy and doing these three different championships back-to-back is quite a challenge, but I am really excited to be back in amongst the big boys at MotoGP."

He added that while he was more optimistic about his chances at Brno than he had been for Jerez, he was not underestimating how hard it would be to make an impact.

"I'm under no illusions that it will be tough, because the other guys have been racing on MotoGP bikes all season and I'll need some time to get up to speed with the bike and tyres, but I'll be giving it all I've got to try to get a good result for the team," said Hopkins.