Hopkins pleased with top five result

The Suzuki rider fought for a podium throughout the race, finishing close behind Alex Barros and Casey Stoner.

"I'm pleased that it was such a good race and we got to battle with Alex so much, but I just burnt up the tyres a bit at the beginning of the race," Hopkins told BBC television.

"I was looking for a podium, but I ended up in the top five and we're gaining points in the championship and that's the most important thing."

He remains sixth in the standings, having finished in the top seven at every race this year bar Jerez.

Hopkins reckoned that Friday and Saturday's changeable weather conditions had made it hard to make a tyre choice.

"If I could go back and do it all over again, I would have chosen a harder tyre, but with the amount of dry track that we had, we chose the right tyres for the right situation. I'm not too disappointed with it," he said.

He hailed the performance of his Rizla Suzuki during the race.

"The Suzuki was working awesome today," he said. "The braking ability is unbelievable on this bike."

Hopkins is optimistic that his run of success will continue at Catalunya next weekend.

"I don't want to jinx it, but it's definitely my favourite track," Hopkins said. "I like riding it and the crowd's amazing."