Ant West

A bit more from the Ant Man about Monza:-

"I'm excited to be riding in Kevin's place this weekend though I wish him well. It will be good to ride a different bike in a different championship and at a track that I have never been to before. My GP season hasn't been great so far so this will be a good chance for me to have a really good race," he says. "Though I have ridden four-stroke bikes before, it's quite a while since I slung my leg over one. I would like to finish in the top five this weekend."

Be good to see how he goes on a factory machine, although learning the track and adjusting to the bike will be a big ask IMO.. Ah well, best of luck none the less :)

this really makes it worthwhile to watch the wss races (although i always do.) hope he does well.

Ant is 8th after first qualifying. I have every confidence that he will finish with a strong top 5 result this weekend. His last effort in WSS at Brands in 2004 was very impressive. Worked his way up to 6th before a red flag halted proceedings. On the restart he dropped back and finished around 8th I think. The Yamaha is a good competitive bike and now that this is his second opportunity with the same team (how much do they like Aussies!) I could see him riding for them next year.

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Originally Posted by NinjaMaster

Ant is 8th after first qualifying. I have every confidence that he will finish with a strong top 5 result this weekend. His last effort in WSS at Brands in 2004 was very impressive. Worked his way up to 6th before a red flag halted proceedings. On the restart he dropped back and finished around 8th I think. The Yamaha is a good competitive bike and now that this is his second opportunity with the same team (how much do they like Aussies!) I could see him riding for them next year.

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Its a posibilty, as much as i want to see him in GP's, hes just going round in circles in the 250s at the moment. Hes been duped again with another empty promise from Aprilia this year :mad: ... Maybe he could get a good relationship with Yamaha going this way and earn back the respect he deserves.. His provisional 8th is made even more impressive by the fact its his first time at monza and his first time on the YZF-R6 ;) Gooo Westy!

Some more from Ant:-

Anthony West (8th - 1'51.867 - Yamaha World Supersport Team)

"Having been riding a 250 two-stroke the bike felt really strange for the first few laps and I thought it was going to take longer to get used to it than it has. The R6 feels a lot easier to ride than the last time I rode a 600cc bike in 2004 (Honda.) It just shows how much these bikes have developed. The biggest things for me to get used are the weight and way it moves when cornering compared to a two-stroke. It is a lot more physical but I am finding my style pretty quickly. I am very happy with eighth considering it is a strange track and bike to me. I'm looking forward to tomorrow as I know I have more to give."

Positive and optimistic! Thats what we wanna hear!

West struggled a lot more today qualifying 14th. That will make it hard for him though he is a better racer than qualifier.

Yer just couldnt up the pace with the really experienced fast supersport guys (who know the bike and the track).. I think his race pace will be pretty strong though, and yes hes always been a poor qualifier.. Still be interesting to see how fares..

Anthony West, who is standing in this weekend for the injured Kevin Curtain, had only his second day on the YZF-R6 and spent the morning session continuing to familiarise himself the bike's handling and weight characteristics. As the pace quickened throughout the day the 250 GP star found himself hampered by his non-standard leathers and was unable to improve upon his time from yesterday, eventually qualifying in 14th place.

Anthony West (14th - 1'51.867 - Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I have learnt a lot more about the bike today and I have a much better understanding of what needs to be done to set it up for me. We are very short on time though. The biggest things for me to get used to have been the weight of the bike and the way it handles when flicking from corner to corner. I'm not happy with fourteenth by any means. I want to be in the top five tomorrow and I need to get a good start tomorrow to have any chance of achieving that."

I think Ant's race this w.e @ Monza says ALOT about his talent and riding ability.. To be able to adapt to a COMPLETELY foreign bike, track and set of opponents and claim a podium is a phenomenal effort and surely shuts alot of his doubters up.. I think it shows what hes capable of given the right machinery... Hats off to the man, lets hope he can progress in his 250 season from here on in.. :up:

Jeez, Westy is an ungrateful git, isnt he? Not sure if you caught his comments after the race at LeMans, but why would anyone want to invest more into that team, what a tosser.....

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Originally Posted by kiwigav

Jeez, Westy is an ungrateful git, isnt he? Not sure if you caught his comments after the race at LeMans, but why would anyone want to invest more into that team, what a tosser.....

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Your kidding yourself,

Ant has been abused and used by every manufacturer hes ever worked for. He rode the wheels of a POS bike in 2003 and scored several dry podiums, a race win and finished fifth or sixth in the championship, what do Aprilia give him in 04? The same POS bike after 'promising' a factory ride.

Ant risks his life for another year in 04 (check out his crash at P.I that year) to finally get his 'big break' in 05, my ARSE! KTM waste his year then pull the bike out of the season early and give West the arse.. He goes back to square one in 06, rides his arse off as the best privateer AGAIN then gets 'promised' a 'near factory' ride for 07, look what he's stuck with..

While i dont condone his interview at all, i do understand where his frustration comes from.. I think hes experienced what a high quality and professional factory WSS team is like aand has realised how badly hes been getting screwed over the last few years. He just needs to get out of the GP paddock at the end of this year and give WSS/WSBK a go and get his attitude back in order by running at the front where he belongs.