Rizla Suzuki's John Hopkins has been forced to pull out of this weekend's Sepang MotoGP round after one day as the finger he smashed at Brno has re-broken and the American doesn't want to risk amputation.

Hopkins woke this morning in considerable pain and unable to move the offending digit. It would appear two sessions on the GSV-R800 have been too much for the knuckle as the plates and screws within have come apart, leaving Hopkins with no option but to withdraw.

“I knew my hand was sore after yesterday afternoon, because it was hurting when I was riding. It is definitely a lot more painful riding a MotoGP bike than it was the British Superbike, mainly due to the immense braking forces on the GSV-R. I woke up just before six this morning and I had quite a bit of pain so I tried to loosen it up and bend it, but that wasn’t an option," said Hopkins.

"The screws and the plates in the finger have come apart and thereÂ’s just no movement in the knuckle at all, so I cannot bend the finger. If I get any further damage to the injury it could result in amputation and certainly don’t want that! My Doctor is totally confident that he can fix it, but I just haven’t been able to rest it and give it the proper time needed to repair it over the last six weeks. I thought it would be fine to ride this weekend and had every hope of it working, but I didn’t expect the amount of force that goes into riding a GP bike would cause such a problem.

“I am so sorry for the team and Rizla Suzuki, because they have given me such a great opportunity again and now I can’t ride past the Friday - it’s heartbreaking and I can’t express my disappointment. It’s such a shame and I couldn’t be more upset, but the priority now is to get it fixed and get myself ready for the 2012 season.”