John Hopkins close to Kawasaki pay off

John Hopkins is in the final stages of reaching a settlement with Kawasaki as the American continues his silence on his racing future.

The 25-year-old has refused to speak on the shock resurrection of Kawasaki’s factory team, albeit in the form of a one-rider effort that has been re-branded Hayate.

That move has left Californian Hopkins frozen out of racing, despite having a contract to race with Kawasaki in 2009.

A Hayate spokesman told MCN in Qatar: “The discussions with John over the settlement of his contract are close to being finalised. We are confident it will be resolved to the satisfaction of both parties very soon.”