Alex Hofmann began his racing career in motocross but soon transferred his talents to road racing, earning the European Championship title in 1998 which brought him instant recognition as Germany's brightest racing star. Hofmann established himself as a consistent performer in three seasons of 250cc competition in the World Championship, then in working as a test rider for Kawasaki in 2003 where he made five MotoGP appearances and scored points in two GPs. The results gained him a full factory ride with the Japanese manufacturer for two years until he switched to the satellite Pramac D'Antin team. His time on the Ducati in 2006 and 2007 included a number of rides for the factory team when Sete Gibernau was forced out due to injury.