Some Ant sites...

http://www.antwest14.com

http://www.docwa.com.au/phpBB2/viewt...3d197b14af4f82

http://www.motorsportforums.com/foru...d.php?p=152795

Anthony West

Profile Anthony West #13

Born: 17th July 1981 - Maryborough, Australia
Nationality: Australian
Marital Status: Single
Residence: Fuschl, Austria
Height: 177cm / 5'8"
Weight: 65kg / 143.3lbs
Hobbies: Jet-ski, motocross, supermotard, mountain-bike

First Grand Prix: 1998 Australian Grand Prix (Wild Card)
Grand Prix Race Wins: 1 (250cc World Championship)
Grand Prix Podiums: 5 (250cc World Championship)

Career Summary
2007: World Supersport Championship (Yamaha), 2 Wins (GBR, MIS) 250cc World Championship, Team Sicilia (Aprilia) 2006: 11th, 250cc World Championship

2005: 17th, 250cc World Championship (KTM), 1 podium - (GBR)

2004: 11th, 250cc World Championship (Aprilia) 2003: 7th, 250cc World Championship (Aprilia), 1 win (NED), 4 podiums (CAT, NED, GBR, AUS)

2001: 18th, 500cc World Championship (Honda) 2000: 6th, 250cc World Championship (Honda)

1999: 12th, 250cc World Championship (TSR)

1998: 1st, Australian 250cc Production Championship, 3rd, Australian 125cc Championship, Australian-based 'Rider of the Year'

1997: 1st, 80cc Bronze Cup (Suzuka, Japan)

1996: 1st, Australian 125cc Dirt Track Championship, 1st, Australian 125cc Long Track Championship

1995: 3rd, Australian 125cc Dirt Track Championship

1994: 3rd, Australian 100cc Dirt Track Championship

13 Nov 2007
ANTHONY WEST: NIGHT RIDER

With the prospect of the opening round of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship at Qatar being run in the dark, a handful of riders were invited along to test the illuminations. Anthony West was one of them…

'I went from Valencia to Milan, Milan to Munich then straight to Doha so, when I got off the plane, I hadn't had time to look at the timetable and figure out where I was going or what the agenda was,' bemoans a busy Ant.

But then a lady appeared, who whisked him through immigration and straight to a waiting limousine.

'The whole thing was pretty trick; they made me feel really important. I didn't even have to queue up to show my passport!' says West. 'It was the real VIP treatment.'

And, to top it off, he was taken to stay the night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

'It was great. I spent a couple of hours at the gym and chilled for a bit before we went to the circuit the following evening.'

The bikes were road bikes and Ant was on Kawasaki's production rocket, the ZX-10R, sporting Bridgestone tyres.

'It was pretty quick,' he says, 'especially in a straight line, but it wasn't bad round the corners either. We were still doing around 300kmh in the fastest sections but admittedly, the standard brakes took a bit of a battering.

'I was there with Loris Capirossi, James Toseland, Alex De Angelis and Marco Melandri. The whole thing was cool. Only one section of the track was lit to the extent it will be next year but even the rest of it, under the circuit's standard floodlighting, was pretty clear, despite some shadows.'

The 26-year-old Australian has no qualms about the project.

'Nope, I've no worries about it at all,' he claims. 'There are three or four back-up systems in case it goes wrong. And we tested riding under 100% light, then at 70%, then 40% and the system was that good you could barely tell the difference. So I think it's safe.'

The only thing he has any concerns about is the track temperature being low at night.

'But, other than that, I think it's a good idea. Why not? It's something different. And the bikes looked fantastic under the lights. What's more, you could see the exhausts heating up and glowing red in the dark.'

Apparently, all the riders ended the session in favour of the event taking place and it has now been officially announced by Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, that it will go ahead as planned on March 9th next year.

'Loris Capirossi has got the right idea,' grins Anthony. 'He worked out we can ride at night, get a lie-in the next day, then go to the beach before we have to be back at the track. And nobody will have to worry about jet lag!'

23 Nov 2007
ANT WEST SIGHTED AT NEC SHOW

As if the winter testing schedule, night rides in Qatar and bike shows in Milan weren't enough, Anthony West recently added the UK's massive International Motorcycle and Scooter show to his impressive list of diary commitments.

The kind folk from Kawasaki Motors UK welcomed the 26-year-old MotoGP rider on to their stand at Birmingham's NEC, where he gallantly answered questions, signed autographs and posed for photos with his fans.

We caught up for a quick chat to find out how he got on…

"It was my first time at the show," explains Ant, "and it was good to be there. I could only make it for a couple of days but it gave me the chance to meet some British racing fans and they gave me a really warm welcome."

The summer-loving Aussie couldn't even complain about the weather.

"It was really sunny! And I'd just come from Austria where it was zero degrees and snowing," he grins.

And while he's fairly tired after his recent round of non-stop engagements, West is upbeat and excited after testing the Ninja ZX-RR in preparation for next season.

"In Sepang, we tried out some new parts, especially to the clutch, which made a great difference. And John (Hopkins) and I exchanged notes quite a lot, which really helped. He's got the (very helpful!) experience of another MotoGP bike to compare the Ninja with and we've got similar opinions about what we want to do. And our crews have really listened and come up with solutions so fast!"

The end of the 2007 season saw Ant not just getting a new team mate but a new crew chief, too: Juan Martinez.

"He's good," says Ant. "He's really motivated, knows what he's doing and wants to try a load of different things. I'm really pleased and think we can work well together. Already, we've changed so many things with the set up, seeing what works and what doesn't.

"Having the time to test is fantastic; I was kind of thrown in at the deep end when I joined the series mid-season, so it's great to get the laps in."

And the young Australian's all fired up.

"I want to put in 100%, get as much as I can from these tests and learn as much as possible about the bike, so I can give it my best next year."

And with that, Ant left the NEC, and Birmingham, behind to catch a plane headed for Spain for a brief spell of mountain biking with some other (insane) team members.

Where does this guy get his energy? No matter, as long as he comes back in one piece, ready for the Jerez tests next week…

West can’t wait for Night Race

Monday, 26th November 2007

MotoGP's first ever night race, due to open the 2008 season at Qatar on March 9, has been given an overwhelming thumbs-up by Anthony West, one of a handful of riders to try the special lightening system.

Kawasaki star West, along with one rider from each of the other MotoGP manufacturers, took part in a special night test, using road bikes, at the Losail circuit on November 12. The test was make-or-break for the night-race concept, but the idea was given enthusiastic approval by the riders present.

"It was cool! I loved it!" West told Crash.net. "It's like when you watch a Supercross; all the bikes look really good under the lights - because they are more shiny - and it was the same when we rode there. The bikes just look cooler at night and you could see the exhausts glowing red and things like that. It should make it more exciting."

Prior to the test, the main concern had been visibility, specifically the disorientating effect of shadows on the race track, but West said that the lighting arrangement had solved that problem.

"The lights were so good that there's not really a shadow that you notice," he said. "When you stand on the track, it's like when you see football players standing in a stadium - the players make several small shadows in different directions rather than one big one. You don't really notice those small shadows when you're riding, which is good because it could be distracting.

"It's going to be strange to see what happens when there's no sun on the track. It's still quite hot there at night, but a night race will definitely change the way the tyres work," West concluded.

Back to top      

29 Jan 2008
AUSTRALIAN FABIO?

Anthony West was a worried man when he turned up for a promotional photo shoot at the Phillip Island circuit today.

The 26-year-old Australian was under the impression that the photo shoot was to showcase the Kawasaki Racing Team's 2008 livery, and Ant's new leather suit.

However, the first question that Ant was asked by photographer, Graeme Brown, was; would he be prepared to 'do a Toseland' and pose nude aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.

'I thought he was joking at first,' explained Ant, 'But I got a bit worried because he looked pretty serious, and he kept showing me the picture of Toseland. I didn't know what to say. I came to MotoGP to race, not to work on building a career as a male model, and a nude one at that!'

'In the end, it turned out that he'd been put up to it by certain members of the team and it was all a joke. Well, that's what they said anyway. Personally, I reckon they'd have done it and then posted the pictures all over the internet if I'd been daft enough to have agreed.'

'As it was, they still ended up with some pretty ridiculous photos of me, after making me do some really stupid poses for the camera. No doubt these will be making an appearance on the Kawasaki web site before long!'

'If they do, then I just hope people who see them will realise that I was made to do it,' concluded Ant.

I wouldn't mind seeing those pictures!!

Ant will have a good friend travelling with him to all rounds in 2008. Dazza, you will remember Ben from the rounds you saw in 2006. Ben's job is to "keep all the girls away from Ant"  along with general gopher stuff, and as a training partner in between rounds. The aim is to allow Ant to fully concentrate on riding the thing at race rounds. Most of the guys on the circuit have a mate / wife / personal assistant etc, and now Ant is able to "afford" to pay for someone to fill this role.

Ant visited Matty Kuhne in rehab a couple of weeks ago. He said he has lost a heap of weight, has movement in his arms but no strength but is getting around OK in his wheelchair. He was suprised how upbeat Matty is and they are looking at getting him over to the USA as there are programs on offer over there that aim to increase the range of movement he currently has. Apparently these programs are not on offer in Aussie.

The new designs for the number on his bike and the pitbox layout are coming along well and are incorporating Ant's designs where possible. Many of you will have previously read that Ant is quite an accomplished artist and has been doing his own designs since the very beginning. He was quite suprised how much merchandise we moved at PI last year  ( he is a shocker at reading emails as I had advised him beforehand - probably due to the volume he gets ) We plan to plough back all profit to date into new merchandise and to include these new designs and the Kwaka green. We will also be expanding the race rounds that the stock is available at. If anybody has contacts at the various tracks aropund the world please get in touch with moi.

The schedule is about to become pretty hectic again with testing / appearances etc, prior to the season proper and Ant will continue to be based in Austria for the foreseeable future.

The bottom line is that Ant sounded really relaxed and he mentioned how much of a relief it had been knowing during the Christmas break (for the first time in his racing career) what he was riding the following year.

2008 could well be the year of the Green Ant and after reading Michael Bartholemy's recent comments the team is very, very confident.

Ant's new website ..............

www.antwest13.com

Sepang test

http://mototribu.com/competition/motogp/2008/test-sepang/index.html



Westy at Sepang test!!

http://mototribu.com/competition/motogp/2008/test-sepang/index147.html

The last picture, #154, of Ant is...

'Wake up call' for West.  

Saturday, 2nd February 2008

Anthony West has vowed to do whatever it takes to improve his fitness following what Kawasaki competition manager Michael Bartholemy describes as a 'wake up call' during the opening tests of 2008.


Having undergone surgery on an old wrist injury in December, the former 250cc and Supersport pilot has been limited in the training he's been able to complete ahead of pre-season testing - where he is expected to ride at 100 percent for six hours a day, for three consecutive days.

West has also had to adapt to the mental pressure of testing, with literally hundreds of different component, tyre and setting combinations to evaluate and then communicate to Kawasaki's technical staff.

"I think Anthony's had a bit of a wake up call over the past two weeks," said Bartholemy. "He did a good job coming into the team midway through last season and scoring points on a bike he'd never ridden before, but now he's learning just how much work goes into developing a factory MotoGP bike like the Ninja ZX-RR ahead of the first race.

"He's been hampered by the wrist operation he had in December, but I think even he'd admit that he underestimated just how hard testing was going to be physically. Now we need to look at his training program over the coming weeks, to ensure he's at least approaching full fitness for the Jerez and Qatar tests," declared Bartholemy.

West finished January's Sepang test just 15th fastest and was 14th and last during the final day of testing at his home Phillip Island circuit on Friday, when he was the sole Kawasaki rider out on track following a groin injury for John Hopkins. West completed more than 100 laps on Friday, including a race simulation, and looked visibly tired when he returned to the pit box for the final time.

"These last two weeks have been a tough introduction to pre-season testing for me," admitted the Australian. "After the wrist operation in December, I knew I wasn't going to have the training time that I probably needed, but I was surprised at just how physically demanding I've found these two tests. And when you start to tire on the bike, it makes concentrating on the evaluation process with whatever component, setting or tyre you're testing all the more difficult.
So yes, it's been hard, but it's also been really productive," he insisted. "We've spent a lot of time working on identifying a good base set-up on the bike, and we've definitely made some progress there, but there's still more work to do before the start of the season.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed that my lap times weren't what I was aiming for here in Phillip Island, but I'm sure they would have been better if I'd come here closer to full fitness," added Ant, whose best lap was over three seconds behind countryman Casey Stoner's stunning qualifying tyre time. "I just need to make sure I'm better prepared for the Jerez test, where I'll be aiming to get a lot closer to the top of the timesheet. If achieving this means moving into the local gym for the next two weeks then that's exactly what I'll do!"

Hopkins also made a brief appearance at Phillip Island on Friday, before heading back to America for treatment on the abductor muscle he damaged on day two.

The 24-year-old Anglo-American will have an MRI scan in San Francisco on Monday, after which Doctor Arthur Ting will decide on the best method of treatment to get Hopkins back on the bike in the shortest time possible.

"Hopefully we'll also have John back for Jerez, but we'll know more when he's had the chance to consult with his doctor in San Francisco on Monday," said Bartholemy. "The injury is not serious, but it's one that could cause ongoing problems if it isn't treated properly now."

With his team-mate on his way home, West will fly from Australia directly to Japan, where he will take part in a wind tunnel test with Kawasaki's race engineers.

I bet no one has picked up on the fact that I am a bit of a Westy fan!!    

I would have never noticed Maree...  LOL

Quote :

tassiedevil wrote : I would have never noticed Maree...  LOL

I keep it well hidden...

17 Feb 2008
WEST MAKES HIS MARK AT A WET JEREZ

Kawasaki's Anthony West stamped his mark on proceedings during the BMW M Award qualifying practice today, held at the uncharacteristically wet and windy Jerez circuit in Spain. Posting the fourth fastest time aboard his Ninja ZX-RR, he missed out on third position by the narrowest margin, a mere 0.014 seconds, to Nicky Hayden.

The BMW Z4 M Roadster that was up for grabs was won by reigning world champion, Casey Stoner, after the 40 minute session at the Andalucian track. With Valentino Rossi coming second, then Hayden, the 26-year-old Australian was the first rider across the line who has yet to win a MotoGP World Championship, so he was in illustrious company and proved both he and the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR have been doing their homework over the winter period. What is more, he ensured a considerable gap behind him, where fifth placed Andrea Dovizioso was over half a second off his back tyre.

West also gathered valuable data in the less than ideal conditions. The Kawasaki rider completed three tyre evaluations for Bridgestone and is hoping for dry weather tomorrow, before the conclusion of the three-day test in the afternoon.

"I am not completely happy with today but we are closer to where we need to be, time-wise," he commented afterwards. "This morning we tried some different settings to improve handling and turning. This afternoon we continued working on the tyres, although the state of the track was not brilliant as it was wet in some places and completely dry in others."

An optimistic West then added: "It's all been very valuable and, if we get some dry test time tomorrow, we'll be able to add to the data we've collected and get a clear plan for the Qatar test later this month."

His team mate, John Hopkins, opted out of riding in the afternoon, still suffering the after effects of his highside at Phillip Island last month. However, he did venture out in the (very) wet morning session, posting the 10th fastest time and completing a total of 12 laps.

"We made some progress with changes to the electronics and traction control systems this morning," he explained, "but the weather during the timed session this afternoon was far from ideal when you're carrying an injury, which is why I opted to sit it out. My priority has to be regaining full fitness in time for the first race and I didn't want to risk aggravating the injury just to try and win a car I don't need."

The 24-year-old Anglo-American found the conditions harder on his damaged abductor muscle because of the requirement to hang further off the machine in turns and the tendency for the bike to move around more in the wet.

Pacing himself to lessen the risk of aggravating the injury further, Hopkins will test again during tomorrow's third and final day at Jerez, should the weather improve, but warned his participation may be "quite limited".

Giving his overview of the day's proceedings, Competition Manager Michael Bartholemy said he was pleased with progress and that, now the team has had an opportunity to see where it is in relation to its competitors, there was a clearer vision of the path ahead.

He also supported Hopkins' decision not to ride in the afternoon session.

"It is important he is fit for the first race," remarked the Belgian.

Regarding West's performance, Bartholemy was optimistic.

"Anthony has shown he is really not far off the pace and I'm happy with his result. During the afternoon he tried three different tyres and the last one he used was working well for him, despite the dreadful conditions on track. I hope the weather improves tomorrow so John is able to ride, and also so Anthony can improve his lap times in the dry, which has been our main aim since starting pre-season testing."

Qualifying Times:
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'49.263; 2. Valentino Rossi (46) Fiat Yamaha +1.317; 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +1.522; 4. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.536; 5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scott +2.049; 6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda Gresini +2.331; 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +2.631; 8. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Honda LCR +2.716; 9. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice d'Antin Ducati +2.795; 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +2.975; DNS. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team

18 Feb 2008
KAWASAKI CONCLUDE WEATHER AFFECTED JEREZ TEST

Kawasaki's John Hopkins and Anthony West concluded the three-day IRTA test at a blustery, but dry Jerez circuit today with encouraging results, as both riders continued to improve the set-up of their Ninja ZX-RR machines.

West finished the test reasonably satisfied with 12th position, after making significant steps forward with the set-up of his machine. The 26-year-old Australian concentrated on improving the handling and cornering of his bike and he, along with his crew, has found a front-end setting that has given him much more confidence around the technical Jerez circuit.

West also carried out an evaluation of qualifying tyres supplied by Bridgestone, whilst spending most of the day in the top five, completing a total of 63 laps of the 4.423km Spanish circuit. The Kawasaki rider concluded the day with a fastest time of 1:41.026.

Hopkins completed the test with a run out on circuit this morning to finalise his clutch set-up. The Anglo-American completed a total of 20 laps, posting a best time of 1:42.970. Hopkins decided to stay off the track during the afternoon, as riding in the rain yesterday has caused some aggravation to the injury the 24-year-old sustained at Philip Island in pre-season testing.

Hopkins will now return home to receive ultra-sound treatment on the torn abductor in his groin and focus on regaining strength in the injured muscle ahead of the Qatar test in just over a week's time.

Kawasaki Technical Manager, Naoya Kaneko, declared himself pleased with today's proceedings and is confident that the team now have a clear direction for the final pre-season test at the Losail International circuit in Doha, Qatar.

Anthony West: 12th - 63 Laps – 1:41.026
"We've mainly worked on the handling and the steering of the bike today. We've made a big step forward in the front-end set-up and I feel a lot more confident, although there is still room for further improvement. We have also tested some qualifying tyres from Bridgestone that I have never used before and the results were promising, I am sure that given more time using them we could have gone even faster. We finished off the test with a 10-lap run to see what the tyre performance is like towards the middle of race distance and we found more consistency than with the previous tyres we have used. We now have a plan to fine-tune the set-up with what we have learned here in Jerez and I will return home to continue with my training programme before heading to the last pre-season test in Qatar."

John Hopkins: 18th - 20 Laps -1:42.970
"Today we used the dry track time to warm up the clutch and try some practice starts, as we don't have much time to do this before the first race. Riding in the rain yesterday took its toll on my injury and today I have definitely felt the effects. With our focus firmly on the first race, we decided it wasn't necessary to go out on circuit this afternoon. I am flying home tomorrow to immediately have as much therapy and ultra-sound treatment as possible to maximise my recovery."

Naoya Kaneko: Kawasaki Technical Manager
"Today everything has gone well for us despite losing some track time this morning because of the weather conditions. Unfortunately John could only test a few parts due to his injury, but we have found some direction for our development ahead of the first race. With Anthony we tested some qualifying tyres, and we have worked particularly on his chassis set-up. We found a combination of components and settings that worked positively for us, which we will continue to work on. We now go to the final test, where we will concentrate on optimising the overall package to be as competitive as possible at the opening race of the season."

Test Times:
1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1'38.848; 2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +0.404; 3. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scott +0.465; 4. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Honda LCR +0.503; 5. Valentino Rossi (46) Fiat Yamaha +0.720; 6. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha Tech 3 +0.879; 7. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.997; 8. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Honda Gresini +1.084; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda Gresini +1.485; 10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.594; 11. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.728; 12. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.178; 18. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +4.122

28 Feb 2008
BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL IN QATAR

The lights were switched on at 17.45 hours, local time, at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar today as MotoGP's first official night test kicked off, prior to the first round of the 2008 season next week. It all happened in preparation for the race on 9th March, also at the track, which will be the first Grand Prix ever to be run at night.

The history-making illuminations, powered by nearly five and a half million watts of electricity and which represent the largest permanent sports lighting system in the world, lit the 5.4km circuit as the premier class riders started the first of two nights of testing.

Kawasaki Racing Team rider, John Hopkins, took to the track on the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR despite still recovering from a groin injury sustained at Phillip Island in January. The 24-year-old Anglo-American managed 71 laps and a best time of 1'56.614, putting him in an impressive seventh position on the leader board, just over a second off Casey Stoner, the fastest man of the session, and a mere 0.043 seconds off sixth placed rider, Alex de Angelis.

Getting used to the lighting was the first hurdle and one which all the riders seemed to overcome fairly quickly. However, as Hopkins pointed out as he tested Bridgestone tyre combinations throughout the seven hours, low, night time track temperatures will make for a difficult decision on the rubber come the race.

He did, however, continue to forge ahead and recorded his fastest lap of the session right at the end: a positive sign of things to come.

Anthony West, after making great progress during the last test at Jerez earlier this month, continued to test new chassis components on his Bridgestone-shod machine and was feeling increasingly confident in the revised set up.

The 27-year-old from Queensland, Australia, had just put in his fastest time of the test when he lost the front and crashed at turn 16, the final right-hander before the long stretch down the start/finish straight. Bruised but otherwise unhurt, West climbed aboard his second bike and went back out to do some further laps.

The test ran until 01:00 hours, one hour later than scheduled, due to the official, switching-on ceremony delaying the advertised start. Tomorrow's test will begin at 17:00 hours, local time, and run until midnight.

John Hopkins: 7th - 71 Laps – 1'56.614
'The priority today was to decide on a tyre for the first race next week and we evaluated many different combinations of both race and qualifying tyres. It's been a while since I've been able to get on the bike and get stuck into testing because of my injury, although this is slowly improving day-by-day. The most difficult thing has been maintaining fitness whilst recovering but I managed to do some training this week and, despite still feeling sore, we got through quite a lot of laps today. The lighting around the circuit is good fun as it's a bit different from the usual, but the track temperature is quite low and I could really feel it in the tyres, which are going to be a crucial factor for the race. Now we know what tyre selection we will be using, we are going to concentrate on the machine set-up tomorrow.'

Anthony West: 18th – 51 Laps – 1'57.787
'Tonight, our main task was to get accustomed to the floodlit circuit and to try a new chassis option we have. The frame we tried has made a big improvement to the rear grip, which we have had trouble with previously. The bike felt really good and I started pushing a bit hard, which caused me to crash. I lost the front at the last corner and I'm a bit bruised but no major problems. The lighting of the circuit is not totally consistent and it is a bit strange riding at night. The track does look a bit different, and it's hard to find my lines, but overall it's not hugely dissimilar to how it is in the day. I hope that tomorrow we can get some more laps on the bike in these conditions and continue working with this chassis.'

Naoya Kaneko: Kawasaki Technical Manager
'This was the first practice under the lights at night. These conditions are quite unique because in usual circumstances the track temperature increases throughout the day, whereas in this situation the track temperature decreases and the humidity increases the closer we get to midnight. We completed various tyre tests, which indicated some direction we could take on race tyres, although we may need to adapt our set-up tomorrow to be able to make the most of the best race tyre. We have also tested some new machine components which, combined with the different tyres we have used, will bring some advantages and some disadvantages. Tomorrow, our main aim is to find the best compromise and finalise our race set-up.'

Test Times:
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.330; 2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +0.689; 3. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Honda LCR +0.732; 4. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scott +0.791; 5. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha Tech 3 +0.921; 6. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Honda Gresini +1.241; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.284; 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +1.291; 9. Valentino Rossi (46) Fiat Yamaha +1.419; 10. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Tech 3 +1.432; 11. Toni Elias (ITA) Alice d'Antin Ducati +1.677; 12. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +1.680; 18. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.457

29 Feb 2008
BIKE TEST SHOCKER FOR THE HOPPER

Any man that can ride a MotoGP bike in a vertical axis knows his way around a motorcycle, right?

Well, not according to the powers that be in Miami, Florida, it seems.

Multiple MotoGP podium-scorer and Kawasaki speed fiend, John Hopkins, recently decided to buy a little scooter to run around town on. But when he went to purchase his stylish Italian Vespa, boasting all of 150cc, he was told he couldn't ride it as… he doesn't hold a motorcycle licence.

Yes, the elbow-down wheelie king of the premier class has never taken a motorcycle test and therefore, when he returns home after the Qatar race next week, he will be found riding around cones and checking mirrors he's not used to having.

'It's going to be pretty weird,' admits John, sounding not entirely convinced about the whole thing. 'There are a lot of MotoGP fans out there in Miami and I've no idea what they're going to think if they spot me on a scooter. I hope the instructor guys don't make me wear a fluorescent yellow jacket; I'll die!'

But why a scooter anyway? Isn't America the country of automobiles?

'It's just for going down to South Beach on and scooters are a pretty popular way to get around. There's not much use for a car down there.'

So what's next? A Kawasaki ZX-10R road bike?

He smiles. 'I don't think so, man. Riding on the road is too dangerous. I'll stick to the scooter back home and the ZX-RR on the track, thanks.'

And if he doesn't pass? You know what these people are like: all those tiny technicalities?

John snorts. 'I'll be pretty upset!'

We wish him the very best of luck. And hope, for his sake, he can resist the temptation to liven up the test by attempting to do the whole thing on the back wheel. Standing up.

Fingers crossed, John. And don't crash: we need you in Jerez!

29 Feb 2008
COLD, HARD NIGHT IN THE DESERT FOR MOTOGP

The last, pre-season test before the start of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship took place tonight at Qatar's Losail circuit. After yesterday's stunning, and bewildering, introduction to riding their 800cc premier class machines at night, the riders took to the track to continue working on set ups and tyre choices ahead of next week's 22 lap race.

Kawasaki's John Hopkins, claiming 80 per cent fitness after his crash last month at Phillip Island, bravely remounted his Ninja ZX-RR to complete 55 laps over the seven hour, nocturnal testing session. Having yesterday evaluated Bridgestone tyres in readiness for the first round, the Anglo-American today focused on his bike set up.

He made considerable progress, taking a second off his best time on a race tyre and continuing to refine the set up of the bike, ready for the race. Happy with the session's results, and before tackling the circuit again next week, he will now rest, hoping to overcome the lingering pain in his upper thigh which prevented him from doing as many laps tonight as he would have liked.

Team mate, Anthony West, ended the test disappointed at his lap times but was not alone in feeling frustrated. Conditions at the track were dry but cold; comparable to the lowest European temperatures the teams are used to dealing with during a season. This made a significant difference to tyre performance and none of the Bridgestone-shod racers saw significant improvements on qualifiers.

However, he continued to test the new chassis he first tried last night and remains very happy with the improvements he felt on the bike as a result. Therefore, the 27-year-old remained optimistic for his upcoming first MotoGP race at Losail.

The team will be back at Qatar next Friday for the first free practice session of the race weekend. The inaugural round of the 2008 championship will take place, historically, on the night of Sunday 9th March, starting at 23:00 hours, local time.

John Hopkins: 12th - 55 Laps – 1'56.612
'We mainly worked on the overall bike set-up today, and we had some chassis settings to run through, as well as finalising which chassis we are going to use for the race. The results have been positive as we slashed a second off yesterday's lap time on a race tyre. We also reduced the allocation of tyres we had available to us at the beginning of the test and we know which selection we're going to use for the race. I'm feeling confident and competitive on race tyres, although we didn't try any qualifiers today. The conditions are very cold out on track but it's the same for everybody, I think this may be the biggest factor during the race. The injury I have is a bit sore from doing a lot of laps yesterday but I'm now going to Dubai with Ashleigh for a three-day mini vacation to rest before starting my race preparation.'

Anthony West: 18th - 67 Laps – 1'57.459
'Today we have been working mainly on improving the set-up of the chassis we tried yesterday and, although I'm disappointed with our lap times, we have definitely made some improvements. The conditions out on track are cold and there is very little grip, which has been the main difficulty for us. We did a race simulation, trying a selection of tyres with an aim of finding something suitable for next weekend and, in the final hour of testing, found one I'm much happier with. We have some work to do before the first practice next week but I'm confident that, with the data we have from the last two days, we can improve our lap times and be much more competitive.'

Michael Bartholemy: Kawasaki Competition Manager
“It's not been easy for us as with John's injury we still can't progress as quickly as we'd like. I was expecting a better overall performance during this test, but I know we can improve before next Friday when we start practicing again for the first race of the championship. The track temperature was not helpful, as this has caused us some trouble with the tyres, but we have worked with Bridgestone for many years and I am confident we will come up with a solution for next week. Quite a few riders crashed today, and the conditions are not ideal for MotoGP, however it's the same for all the teams and I'm sure we can make some improvements before the first race.'