No, pink. I think you'd love it! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Roby44
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No, pink. I think you'd love it! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Roby44
I don't see how Ant is bringing anything more to the table than OJ was bringing. Perhaps even less as OJ is at least an experienced testing rider. They kept OJ for a full half season.
Problem is, who could Kawa possibly replace him with?
Ant made OJ's results last year look like crap.. And he's showed him up in every test theyve both been in this year.. So pull your head in mate :)
I reckon a lot of people are really jumping the gun about rider sackings/replacements after only 3 rounds. If these results continue until the halfway mark of the season and a better replacement can be found then it should be a consideration. Given the way Bridgestone runners as a whole have generally struggled, I am confident that Ant and Marco will both have improved results in the next few races.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaMaster
ISo true......ts only early days yet!!! :ninja: :idea: :wave:
Could not agree more :s mokin:
20 Apr 2008
RIDER DIARY: ANTHONY WEST
I felt about as upbeat as I could have after the race in Jerez; the second round. I managed 13th position, and three points, so I wasn't exactly celebrating but, at the same time, at least it was better than the 16th I got at Qatar.
And in Spain I had a bit of a battle going on. I fought with Melandri and de Angelis and it went on right until the end of the race, so it was more of a fight than the race at Losail, where I had traction problems and couldn't keep up.
We stayed on for a day's testing at Jerez and I had a go on the 'screamer' bike. Its engine has an even firing order, unlike the one in our current bike, and Olivier Jacque has been developing it with the Kawasaki test team and the guys in Japan. It was really smooth. It sounds scarier than it really is when you ride it but that big wail you get from it is pretty cool and it's surprisingly nice to ride. The power delivery's smooth and it's easy to control so I can't wait for the engineers to do some more work on it… Then maybe we can race it. I only got 15 laps on it but in those laps I was already as fast as I had been on the normal ZX-RR; so that's a good sign. Especially as we hadn't even spent much time setting it up for me.
I can't wait until it's ready for us to take it to a race.
The team's just left Estoril after what was another bad result for me. I came last and obviously I'm not feeling too happy about that. For a while, things were going okay, and I was fighting with Melandri, Guintoli and Elias, but then my brake lever started playing up and I lost a lot of time at the end of the start finish straight when it came right back to the bar! You really don't need that happening at the best of times but that corner is real harsh. From then on, I was fighting with it.
The following day, we had another test and made some further changes to the bike's set up, as well as trying out some tyre options with Bridgestone. Immediately, I was going faster than I had over the weekend and I felt loads more confident. That's great but obviously it's kind of frustrating too, as I wish I'd felt that good during the race. Still, at least the changes are good and the next round is in Shanghai, which is a fast, flowing track and, apparently, better suited to our machine, so I'm aiming to do a hell of a lot better there…
The personal life is pretty mad at the moment too. My PA, Ben, and I have just moved from the basement in our building to the apartment on the top floor, giving us a load more space, which is great. I even bought at TV and a couch. We crashed out and watched Rambo 4 recently and it was fantastic; it felt like a real home!
But now I'm going to LA, straight from Portugal, for two weeks' cycling with John Hopkins' trainer, Johnny Louch, and I'll fly to China straight from there, so I won't get home. What's more, Michael, our competition manager at Kawasaki, has suggested I move to Belgium, which is a bit nearer the centre of the action as far as our team is concerned, as we're based in the Netherlands (and Michael lives nearby so he can keep an eye on me!). So while I'm away, Ben's going back to Austria to pack the stuff we've just spent a week carrying up three flights of stairs and, by the time I get back to Europe after the Shanghai round, I'll be living in Belgium.
This isn't the game to be in if a stable and predictable home life is your thing! Still, I'm sure it'll work out well. To be honest, I'm more worried about the Lycra cycling gear I'm going to have to wear in America …
No sack everyone lower than 10th in the standings. I will take Marco's Duc. Any other bids for the other rides :)Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaMaster
Good to hear from Ant, despite the negatives as of late, glad he's keeping up-beat.. Hope he can get things sorted from Shanghai and beyond..
I'll take Ant's. I bleed green, which you would more than likely see if I ever got to ride a MotoGP machine. :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pantah Jack