Unlike your comments, Ant is not blaming his bike for his performance.Quote:
Originally Posted by JETFX...
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Unlike your comments, Ant is not blaming his bike for his performance.Quote:
Originally Posted by JETFX...
Ok, I'm gonna try and soften my stance here and see if I can clarify my position on Ant West a bit.
Obviously his first round performance was disappointing for the many Westy fans around the world and there has been plenty of passionate discussion on this board about why. From my point of view it is multi-faceted. Bridgestone really struggled to find good grip in the cold night conditions for all but Stoner which then in turn hampered Kawasaki's efforts to get their bikes to work at there most optimum. But West had his own issues also, struggling for form and rythym as a result of a lack of confidence which made matters worse.
Both parties need to get their heads together for round 2 at Jerez to improve, though they will be up against it as the Spanish circuit has favoured Michelin in the past. Give it 5 or 6 rounds and if he is still a long way behind Hopkins, then I will be worried.
Fair enough, I would have to agree with that.
The bike was mid-pack in quali, 4th in warm-up within three tenths of fastest, and mid-pack in the race fastest laps. It isn't the fastest, but it's not a turd. So we'll can the "turd" talk, thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by JETFX...
We heard something similar to what you've said from Kenny jnr when he was at Suzuki in 2003-ish - I think the quote was "I'll use my talent when the bike is better". That is a pretty lame thing to say when you're a professional and compete in a championship where machinery will always be unequal to some degree. You've got to be motivated whatever machinery you're on.
Mind you - we haven't heard that from Ant about Qatar, he's not making any excuses. He held his hand up and said he wasn't confident - fair enough. I've checked the Kawasaki website (http://www.kawasaki-motogp.com/) and can't see anything unfair on there from anyone.
It looks like you've misinterpreted Ninjamaster's comments - he is a Westy fan, I can assure you! :)
I think things will pick up for the Kwaks, Perhaps Westy will feel more confident in warmer climates, or perhaps in the rain. I think once Hopper is not feeling the pain of the goolies slapping the tank he will start to make his way up the field :D
28 Mar 2008
KAWASAKI PILOTS MAKE A STEADY START IN SPAIN
Kawasaki's John Hopkins and Anthony West were disappointed to finish today's free practice at Jerez in 14th and 17th place respectively, after encountering rear traction problems during the two hour-long sessions.
Having missed out on the opportunity for extensive tyre testing during the IRTA test at Jerez, due to the injury he sustained in Phillip Island, Hopkins initially found himself at a disadvantage compared to his factory rivals, all of whom had identified suitable race tyres during their last visit to the 4.423km Circuito de Jerez back in February.
Undeterred, the Anglo-American worked his way through the front and rear tyre combinations available to him, as well as working with his crew to refine the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR to suit specifically the tyre options selected for this race.
Towards the end of this afternoon's session Hopkins was set to post his fastest lap, and move back into the top ten on the timesheet, until a mistake at the end of the back straight saw him crash without injury. Despite the crash, the 24-year-old Kawasaki pilot is confident that he has a clear direction for tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions, in which he's determined to improve his grid position for Sunday's 27-lap Spanish Grand Prix.
Team mate, West, continued working to eliminate the issues he's suffered throughout testing and the first race in Qatar, where a lack of stability under braking and rear traction on corner exit is hampering his progress.
The 26-year-old Australian remains focussed and determined that more is to come, as he aims to put the opening round of the season behind him, by working tirelessly with his crew to find a solution to his machine handling problems ahead of the second race of the 2008 season on Sunday.
John Hopkins: 14th - 1'41.519
"The focus today has been on improving the rear grip and we've tried many different tyre combinations. I did have a small crash at the end of the back straight when I started to push; I braked a bit too hard and lost the front but thankfully it hasn't aggravated my injury. Unfortunately we've found that the tyre that is working the best for us is one we've allocated the least of. This is due to us not being able to put many laps in during the test here because of my injury. This is a track I've always enjoyed throughout my Grand Prix career so I'd like to get the Kawasaki working well here; we're making good progress despite starting out with a bit of a disadvantage. Tomorrow we have to continue with working on the rear traction, although we don't have the option to run with our preferred tyre all day, as we need to save some of our allocation for the race."
Anthony West: 17th - 1'42.181
"Although I've come here with a relatively fresh look on things, we're still suffering with the same difficulties we've had during testing. The rear of the bike just isn't sticking well enough, which means we're not getting the drive out of the corners. Today we used a different clutch to see if that would improve the situation but it hasn't worked and we've tried many things, including altering my body position on the bike to improve this. We've also come across corner entry problems here and the bike feels quite nervous when braking. I am determined to find a solution for these problems, as with a bit more grip we have the potential to go much faster."
Juan Martinez: West Crew Chief
"Clearly we are still having the rear traction problems that have plagued us throughout pre-season testing. Now we have tried many different combinations of settings, and Anthony has adapted his riding style to try and get the rear to hook up better out of the turns. But, while we've definitely seen an improvement in this area, today's result shows that we still have some work left to do. From the two practice sessions today, we have identified a couple of key changes that we want to make tonight, again to try and improve the feeling for Anthony. It's a complicated process, but once we eliminate this problem then I'm confident that Anthony will quickly reclaim his rightful position in the top ten."
Practice Times:
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha 1'40.321; 2. Valentino Rossi (46) Fiat Yamaha +0.043; 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Tech 3 +0.263; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.352; 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.494; 6. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.507; 7. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scott +0.588; 8. James Toseland (GBR) Yamaha Tech 3 +0.707; 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.836; 10. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Honda Gresini +0.868; 14. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.198; 17. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.860
I stand by my comment that to me Ant West is an averagely good rider, but that's just my opinion. I understand the frustration of those who feel that a rider they support does not have the best machinery to work with and this year's top six or seven riders aren't going to make it easy for anyone else to join the party that's for sure.
Ant can have no complaints about support or machinery anymore..
Sure, back in the 250cc privateer days, i could definately understand the frustration and very much sympathised.. I think at the moment, Ant is more frustrated that he can't get the most out of a package that should be reasonably competetive, he is more dissapointed than anyone else right now, i can assure you of that..
He just can't afford to get negative and down on himself, he did very well during his half a season last year, which makes this years poor start all the more confusing..
I just hope he starts getting his head around the ZX-RR and forging a more understanding and productive relationship with his team.. The signs after qualifying are good, despite the grid position and general laptime :s ..
West
#13: 15th – 25 laps – 1'40.088
"The qualifying session has given us some inspiration as we've managed to slash our lap times by a huge amount. I am disappointed not to be further up the grid, and the position isn't quite where we would like to be, but at least we are making progress. The qualifying tyre gave me a lot of confidence as the machine was much more stable, we could turn into the corners better and this enabled us to achieve a reasonable lap time. The rest of the field is within our grasp now and although it's going to be very tough out there tomorrow, I'm looking forward to racing."
Cmon Ant!
I think if he just puts his head down, he will start to make some progress. I think if he is doubting himself, he should take a look at the Ducati camp, and realise that he is not the only one that is having this problem, (Stoner being the exception of course).
Spot on Jake. He and the team just need to be able to get their collective heads around how to get him comfortable and confident on the bike so he can start matching Hopkins output. Hopefully improvement here and heading to some more Bridgestone friendly tracks will see that happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal