Ant West

Bayliss used #12 when his WSBK #21 was used by Hopkins for Valencia... maybe Ant could use #41 in the same vain...

Regardless, racing numbers are unimportant. I hope he gets a good result in Donington to secure his place for the time being and hopefully into the future. :up:

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Originally Posted by Malllen

Bayliss used #12 when his WSBK #21 was used by Hopkins for Valencia... maybe Ant could use #41 in the same vain...

Regardless, racing numbers are unimportant. I hope he gets a good result in Donington to secure his place for the time being and hopefully into the future. :up:

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Who does DePuniet think he is stealing Ant's number anyway! :D I think Ant'll go for #41 also, but Ninja makes a good argument.. Maybe he'll go for #28, 14x2 :D Anyway, as Malllen eluded to, it really is meaningless, but itll be nice to find out.. Ive also heard he's had a new set of leathers and a helmet designed for the rest of the year, they should be interesting to see also!

Haha, bit of a waste getting his new Yamaha leathers last week! :laugh:

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Originally Posted by kymando

awesome news for westy and all his believers.kawasaki are not that silly they have seen him ride the bike and give feed back on it and are obviously impressed with what they have seen.full marks to kawasaki for thinking outside the square on a replacement rider for the bike.what kawasaki need is a rider that believes in himself and wants to run at the front,a rider that is willing to give 100% everytime he gets on the bike (something they currently dont have) and doesnt crash every time they ride the bike. i believe west is that rider.any other rider that fits that description is already in a contract and would cost alot more money.
as for his future results i think he will be infront of randy if not after this weekend then by the next race meeting, and will take the bike as far as it will go in it current development.
as for his complaining i bet every rider that wants to win and isnt is "complaining" because thats how they push the team forward, its how they "complain" that is the difference. it needs to be positive,constructive critisism not negative that ruins morale in the team. i think wests previous complaining has been his his frustration at a team not giving 100%. a manufaturer not giving him better equipment and a tyre supplier not giving him good tyres when he is giving 110% to achieve reslts he knows he can obtain but feels like he is being let down.
i sincerely hope he keeps his brain in gear before engaging his mouth because it is a game of politics and nobody like to hear the truth told so brutally honestly. i quite honestly never thought i would see west ever in this position and i belive if he says the wrong things or less likely doesnt get results he will never get this chance again.
COME ON WESTY!!!!

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geez thats a great post :up:

Look, i guess all we can hope for for Anthony is that he settles in well, and garners some solid top 10 placings for the remainder of the season. Anything more is a big bonus. If it rains......... well, Vermuelen, Stoner and Melandri will have their hands full :p :

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Originally Posted by osg

If it rains......... well, Vermuelen, Stoner and Melandri will have their hands full :p :

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They wouldnt want it any other way!

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Do you think he'd be getting paid for his contract? Or would it be voluntary? My gut feeling is the latter...

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Don't do something for nothing... especially if it's life threatening! : ) There's huge amounts of money in this sport even with the minnows like Kawasaki, Westy will be paid alright.

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Ive also heard he's had a new set of leathers and a helmet designed for the rest of the year, they should be interesting to see also!

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Looking forward to seeing that too. So what's with the helmet he was using in WSS, isn't that an older Charpentier rep?

Now we have the cat amongst the pigeons we will all have some fun, except maybe for some of those motogp dudes who have been hangin' around for way too long.

As for the number go 13 haha

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Originally Posted by tha_jackal

Do you think he'd be getting paid for his contract? Or would it be voluntary? :p My gut feeling is the latter...

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Well Jake, West would want to get paid pretty well based on this article from Eurosport.


British GP - West secures MotoGP ride
Eurosport - Wed, 20 Jun 21:32:00 2007
British GP - Australian Anthony West has switched to MotoGP after Yamaha allowed him to buy out his contract to race for them in the World Supersport series.

The 250cc grand prix race winner tested for Kawasaki in Barcelona last week and has been tipped to replace injured Frenchman Olivier Jacque for the remainder of the season.

Confirmation was expected at the British Grand Prix at Donington Park on Thursday, before the first practice session on Friday.

"I feel I've got my career back on track," West, 25, said in a Yamaha statement, without naming his new employers.

"To leave Yamaha now is sad but it's such a great chance for me to follow my dream to go to MotoGP.

"The financial compensation I've got to pay is severe but I've got the chance to show what I can do on a MotoGP bike and I hope it's worth it."

West last competed in the top category in 2001, when he rode a privately-entered 500cc Honda.

Maybe Ants feedback and team communication isnt so bad after all! .. According to Kawasaki spokesman Ian Wheeler ..

Story Here

A quote for all you lazy sods:-

"The internal discussion took place straight after he tested the bike but still working on the whole thing up until Sunday afternoon and that’s when it was finalized," added Wheeler.

“He turned up on Monday at Catalunya and there were no expectations on our part and his whole approach to the test was completely professional.

His times were promising but really it all came down to what he managed to communicate to the team and the assessment of his technical ability in the bike.

It was then really that the possibility of him being a replacement started to be considered more seriously."

Well, the big chance you've all been waiting for arrives!

Kawasaki have revamped their efforts this year; said that now they've got the bike, just need the riders. Westy has been saying he can do the job for years, after three races showing he definitely can do it on a Supersport bike now comes his full-on big MotoGP opportunity.

I think realistically, spend a couple of races settling into the machinery and getting to the flag with no silly DNFs, then look at moving forwards. Personally, I think Randy de Puniet's got the pace on the Kwaka but lacks a bit of consistency and also luck. The other thing Westy needs to is keep his head down and stay quiet while he gets into things. He needs to give himself a fair run without saying anything silly. Although I hadn't realised he's still only 25.

But seriously, good luck to him.