Hopkins delighted with pace on return

The Kawasaki rider has missed the last three races while recovering from the leg injuries he sustained in a qualifying crash at Assen, but timed his lap perfectly in the tricky conditions today to set the third fastest time.

Hopkins chose a softer compound Bridgestone wet tyre and did his lap early in the session while the rain was at its lightest.

"This is a track I enjoy and Kawasaki have made some big improvements from when I last rode it in Assen," he said. "And the Bridgestone tyres are unbelieveable, they are an advantage.

"I just went out and tried to stick a lap together at the beginning, and fortunately we were able to get a good one in before the standing water appeared."

The American admitted that he was still affected by his knee injury and that he is hoping for a dry race tomorrow, despite his pace in the wet today.

"We just basically sat out the rest of the session because my knee has been pretty sore," he added. "When you are out on the bike you don't really think about it, but when I was in the garage I realised I should wait it out and get ready for tomorrow.

"Even though we did a good position today, I'm still hoping for a dry race because we made some improvements on Friday that I think will be beneficial for us."