Rory Skinner: “It’s a bit surreal that Hopper’s my manager”

By Harvey Todd

Rory Skinner is just four races into his maiden Moto2 season but he is living his childhood dream.

Together with former MotoGP rider John Hopkins, the duo are trying to tackle the lack of British and American riders in the premier class.

The most recent Brit to compete in the MotoGP class on a full-time basis was Cal Crutchlow who retired at the end of 2020.

2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden was the last rider to fly the star spangled banner which has been absent since 2016.

Brits and Americans made up a good proportion of the grid during Skinner’s childhood which ignited his affection for Hopkins.

“My favourite childhood film was ‘Faster’ which led to me being a fan of ‘Hopper’ because that film was focussed on him,” said the 21-year-old.

“It’s kind of a bit surreal now that he’s my manager and I’ve spent a lot of time with him, I even lived with him for just under two months this year.

“It’s kind of weird I’m fulfilling all these childhood dreams and spending time with my idols.

Hopkins made 112 starts in MotoGP between 2002 and 2011 before competing in British Superbikes until 2017 - a class Skinner would enter in 2021 and 2022.

In 2020, Hopkins joined the American Racing Moto2 Team which gives riders from the States a chance to display their craft on the World stage.

The Brit had two wildcard rides with the team during 2022, debuting at his home GP at Silverstone and also competing in Austria a fortnight later.

“Everybody’s always known my goal is to be in Grand Prix. I’ve always made it quite clear that’s where I want to be.

“I didn’t want to have to go down the World Superbike route if I didn’t have to, I’ve always focused my riding to be at a Grand Prix.

“When the opportunity came around to sign a deal with Apex Management, which is run by John and Eitan Butbul who own the team as well, it was a no brainer for me.

“It gave me an opportunity to get a step into the Grand Prix paddock and it was something we were trying to work towards trying to get my name in the paddock and to do a couple of wildcards.

“When the offer came around to do the British Grand Prix last year it was something I couldn’t turn up.

“I was lucky enough that my team in BSB, FS-3 Racing, were very supportive of it. They wanted me to progress and to do the things that I wanted to do.

“I know a lot of teams wouldn’t be so supportive of a rider who’s in Showdown contention in BSB going to do a wildcard for something that’s got no relevance for them.

“It gave me the opportunity to show myself in Grand Prix and the two wildcards in Silverstone and Austria I really enjoyed and I learned a lot.

“It just happened to be in a period where it was Silverstone GP, Thruxton BSB, Austria GP and Cadwell Park BSB so it was a hectic four weeks jumping from bike to bike but it was really good.”

Ahead of the 2023 season, Skinner’s services were called upon which earned him his first Grand Prix contract.

The Brit praises Hopkins for being a great mentor as a team boss but also as a friend.

“Hopper’s been a really good influence for me for the last year or so. He spent a bit more time with me last year in BSB.

“In all honesty the Grand Prix calendar is so flat-out for him he never got an awful lot of time to a BSB round but he was always on the end of the phone and was always there to help me.

“Especially when I first jumped onto a superbike he was always there if I needed to call and speak to him about adapting my riding.

“It’s been really good to have spent a lot of time with him, he’s very knowledgeable, he’s one of the greatest American riders in Grand Prix certainly in this century.

“It’s been nice to have him in my corner, he’s been very beneficial to me especially in the Moto2 park as he has spent a lot of time with the team over the past few years and he really understands what it takes to ride these bikes.

“Hopper’s been a massive part of my adaptation to Moto2.”

The American Racing rider is one of three Brits in the intermediate class alongside Jake Dixon and Sam Lowes.

Skinner is adamant that the lack of UK and US riders in the top class isn’t down to a lack of talent.

“I think there’s certainly the talent in the UK to the top of Grand Prix but it’s whether they’ve got the determination to get through it.

“It’s really easy to earn a liveable amount of money in the BSB paddock or a lot of these other classes around the world, especially MotoAmerica.

“You can make more money in these paddocks as what you can in Grand Prix and it comes without the stress.

“The level is really high in those paddocks but the depth of the field is a lot more in Grand Prix.

“For a lot or riders it is a goal but I think racing in the UK, I’m not sure on America because I’ve not spent a lot of time in the American scene, but a lot of riders come on a little later in life, they start to hit their sweet spot in their mid-20s.

“It’s a shame because I feel we’ve definitely got the talent to challenge with these guys but I think it’s just about being given the opportunities and time.

“These paddocks are so brutal it’s hard to get a solid contract straight from the off and I was lucky enough with the American Racing Team they gave me a great opportunity to not just get into the paddock but to learn and to grow and I’m grateful for that.

“I think it’s tough for a lot of riders to get that break.”

Skinner will be seeking his first Moto2 points in this weekend's French Grand Prix at Le Mans.