Alex Hofmann

Alex Hofmann, whose full name is Alexander Hofmann and who was born on 25 May 1980, is a retired German Grand Prix motorcycle racer who later became a television commentator on the sport. He raced motocross in his early teens before entering the German 125cc championship in 1995, was runner-up in the German series in 1997 and in 1998 moved up to 250cc, where he won every race in the German championship and took the European title as well, the first German to win both titles in his first 250cc season. He made his MotoGP debut in 2002 as a stand-in rider for Garry McCoy at the WCM Red Bull team and also filled in for Loris Capirossi, then became a full-time rider for Kawasaki in 2004 alongside Shinya Nakano. Injuries and a fondness for motocross made his Kawasaki years difficult, and he later rode for the D'Antin Pramac Ducati team. In English-speaking countries he is nicknamed the Hoff.