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year, he was like, 'I never use the rear brake.' I said, 'If you want to be a competitor, you have to use your rear brake.' We went through everything, man. We went through the scooter brake, and all kinds of different thumb brakes. He wanted to use it just manually [foot pedal]. Then eventually, halfway through the season, he finally started get- ting the rear brake down, then it instantly helped. "It was funny because there were a lot of times during the year I said, 'Dude, if you could do this, I know for a fact it will be faster. I know this will be faster.' And he'd argue me. I'm like, 'Dude, just do it.' "Then eventually, we got there. He started to put full trust into me, and the advice that I was giving him, and it worked out good. "But Cam is amazing. He's such a nice kid, an amazing guy. It was just the season I expected from him. I knew it was going to be tough for him being in 18th, 19th place, having to learn to be there after winning non-stop for five years, six years straight. So, being in 18th and 19th, and then looking at the time sheets and seeing that you're a sec- ond and a half slower, when you feel like you're giving ev- ery ounce, that's disheartening. "When I was racing and the Suzuki was not competitive, I'd be giving my all, literally destroy- ing my body, and I'm still a second and a half, two seconds off. Then things start clicking and it all changed for me. "Austin, I think was a huge turn- ing point for Cam. He finally had that self-confidence that he knew he belonged, and he could be competi- tive. These guys aren't superhuman or aliens." And of his new pupil, Sean Dylan Kelly? "Amazing, honestly. He's really good," Hopkins said. "I didn't really know the level of MotoAmerica for a long time. Since over almost a decade there were no American riders in the world championship. So, I was kind of worried about where the level of MotoAmerica racing was. I didn't know how good the MotoAmerica championship was and where the guys were at. Even Cameron, I didn't know where he was at and how Sean would be initially. Instantly, Cam came over and showed his pace. "With Sean, I know he's got the talent. He's got more determination than anyone I've ever seen at that age. His motivation and determina- tion and what he does off the track is just unbelievable. He's willing to do whatever it takes. I think Sean and Cameron will have a great working relationship. They'll be able to push each other." Hopkins had to alter his coaching style to make the connection with Beaubier but once he did, Beaubier's results instantly improved. VOLUME 59 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 1, 2022 P79 changes, no telemetry, noth- ing. It was just me and a bike. It helped a lot to get to Jerez [for the end-of-season test], just knowing what the bike was like and all I had to do to get there, work with the team and try my best. Kelly's best was better than perhaps he or the team expect- ed. His 1:42.749 put the class rookie ninth overall, less than a second behind pace-setter, VR46 Kalex's Celestino Vietti and in front of Moto2 regulars Jorge Navarro, Sam Lowes, Marcel Schrotter and Beaubier. "We worked a lot to get me fitted and comfortable on the bike," Kelly said of the Jerez test. "After that, we just were just ticking away, ticking away. I learned so much from the guys. We didn't have to do too much, but it was more a case of how easy it is to learn when they have that much knowledge. And, obvi- ously, I'm slowly adapting on the Kalex. There's so much to learn from this thing." Having spent the last two sea- sons with Team Hammer on the M4 Ecstar Suzuki, what are the biggest differences between the production GSX-R600 and this Kalex Moto2 machine? "The chassis is so stiff," Kelly says. "The Triumph engine, hon- estly it's beautiful. I love it. But, the chassis changes everything. The limit is just so much further, and that's why the class is so hard. I think that test was super positive. We did a really solid job at the end."

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