John Hopkins says despite an electrical issue which prematurely halted his second race with ePayMe Yamaha he is remaining confident thanks to the pace he produced before his retirement.

The 2011 BSB runner-up claimed a solid ninth place on his competitive debut on the new Yamaha YZF-R1 in the curtain raiser and having battled his way back into the top ten in the second race his charge was thwarted by an electrical issue which forced him to retire after seven laps.

Hopkins says it was a disappointing way to end the first round but feels his race pace and rhythm was a big step up on race one which gives him optimism for the season ahead.

"We made some changes in race two and it was night and day different," Hopkins said. "We got up into the top ten and I could see the leaders but then we had an electrical problem that made us come into the pits.

"It was unfortunate to end the weekend that way but at the same time we have taken a big step forward with the chassis at this event and the feeling in race two was definitely an improvement. We had all hoped for more this weekend but I know we haven't even scratched the surface yet and we look forward to the test now before Oulton Park."