Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
That was so great to see on the big screen at the track at Sepang!! I had all my fingers and toes crossed for Ant to keep his pole position,but alas it was not to be, but he held it for awhile.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
That was so great to see on the big screen at the track at Sepang!! I had all my fingers and toes crossed for Ant to keep his pole position,but alas it was not to be, but he held it for awhile.
That was disgraceful. I hope he sorts himself out with lots of positives in the offseason.
'The race, for me, was terrible and very long. But the good thing is I realised what my problem's been all weekend and I've been chasing the wrong issues. I thought it was all about the rear grip but actually I've just been lacking confidence in pushing the front. Now I realise that's what I should have been working on all weekend. Thirty laps around here taught me that! I'm glad winter testing's coming up and this result is going to make me more determined to do everything I can for next season. I'm going to spend the next few months training and trying to get this bike working for me so I can get faster and more consistent at every track.'
At least Ant is man enough to admit his mistakes..I knew I liked him for lots of reasons!!
Next year will be the year of the Ant!! :)
Harsh but maybe fair, you have to remember he's done remarkably well considering the relatively small amount of time he's had in the premier class..Quote:
Originally Posted by osg
With a full pre-season, Ant will come out swining next year ;)
It was a bit blunt jackal.... but christ i was disappointed with that after the positive form he had shown the previous rounds. It was ugly. I felt uncomfortable watching Valentino ride on by with a broken hand like Ant was standing still.Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
in the previous race, guintoli finished second to last. his worst performance this season.
each rider gets one mulligan per season, one race where they are just lost.
ant got his yesterday.
He will for sure. He was only in the premier class for about 12 races wasn't it??Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
He'll do just fine next year!!
Ant will be a contender next year if Kawasaki can deliver a strong package... having hopa along side him will motivate Ant no end... I get the feeling they will both get along really well too and feed off each others enthusiasm and be highly motivated after each of their results this year.
Team green will be one to watch in 08 and could be challengers all things being equal! Roll on 08 its going to be a cracker.... :beer:
I visit a few forums relating to MotoGP and it is really great when I read on these forums about Ant West and how well he is admired liked and respected as a person and rider by lots of people from all over the world.
Good one Ant. You deserve the accolades.
Bring on 2008
Too right! Although I sometimes find people that blatantly dis-respect Ant and ramble on about his unworthyness of a MotoGP ride, which i have no time for..
I find it's easier to ignore them than to waste time arguing, I know Ant deserves to be there and I know he'll give Hopper a run next year ;)
Yes I know what you mean. I had someone say something to me about Ant and I was amazed that an Aussie could say such a thing!!
Most people I met in Sepang had only good things to say about Ant as did the majority at The Island.
I think people are really impressed by his riding abilities.
Good Westy audio interview over at www.crash.net .. Short but sweet..
Here tis
Enjoy.
They've actually had a few things on Westy lately. Everyone else must be busy...
No!! People are starting to realize how good he really is!! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaMaster
Hopefully he lifts his game at Jerez and goes back to showing people how good he is :s
Well, after 2 days he's been disappointing. Tis only very early in the game though. The last few tests before next season starts will be when the rider's real speeds are shown, when the manufacturers are all ready to go and not experimenting too much.Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
I don't see what the hype is about yet.
Its the pre-season.. Times really are pretty well meaningless.. Remember, Westy did qualify as high as fifth during the regular season as a mid-season rookie, when he was actually chasing a quick lap time.. Right now he's getting to know the bike and his new crew.. The quick times will come in time..
To keep us keen over the off-season of course! :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by theugsquirrel
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a20...ks/antlogo.jpg
05 Dec 2007
ANT WEST: PICASSO OF THE PADDOCK?
Kawasaki MotoGP rider, Anthony West, isn't just a demon on a motorcycle. The 26-year old Australian has another significant talent which has now been embraced by the team: his skills as an artist.
His bike, helmet and pit box have recently been emblazoned with Ant's self-drawn logo.
"I've had my designs used on my kit before," he explains "the helmet I used when I first came to Grand Prix racing was decorated by my own artwork, but there hasn't been much else that's been used, until now.
"Art was just about the only thing I was any good at when I was at school," he continues. "At least, it was the subject I tried hardest at and the only one I got an A in."
He started young, doodling and drawing for fun, but has carried it on into adulthood and it remains one of his favourite pastimes.
"I don't do it now as much as I'd like, and it's not very organised, I just do it when the mood takes me. At home I've got heaps of different sketchbooks and note pads but most of the time I just pick up a pen and draw on random bits of paper. So I have this big pile of stuff I've drawn."
The logo is an impressive piece of work. The insect which shares his name is drawn as a well-dressed, mischievous creature, carrying a cane and displaying a cheeky grin. To be honest, it's nothing like Anthony at all (he certainly has fewer legs) but hey, that's artistic license for you…
And he worked through a number of ideas before eventually picking the final design.
"I started drawing in a variety of different styles and there were a few good ones. I couldn't use some of them though, they might have been seen as a bit aggressive and scary and not the best image to give off!"
But the end result has livened up his lid, his pit box and his fairing with originality and flair. And Ant's chuffed:
"I'm pleased with it, it's personal and I think it looks cool," he grins, approvingly. "It's pretty nice to have your own art work on a MotoGP bike…"
Maybe that could be a career for Ant after his racing life :p
Ant has a huge year ahead in 08', this is make or break for the true Aussie battler.
Ant has never had a better opportunity and may never get another opportunity if he is deemed a failure.
Whilst proving more consistent than the fast but falling Randy DePu he has another challenge ahead in facing Little Johnny Hopper.
Ant must be top ten from day one and must certainly be seen as competitive with Hopper straight up.
Whilst all the romance of Ant getting the ride has been superb, he must now deliver!
I think Ant will certainly deliver some great results next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach24
I think his biggest problem will be that the Honda's and probably the Yamaha will be much more competitive making it much harder to get consistent top 10 finishes.
The top 10 is likely to be -
Stoner
Rossi
Pedrosa
Hayden
Dovi
Lorenzo
Chris V
Hopper
De Angelis
Capirossi
Nakano (now he's back on Bridgestones)
The likes of Melandri, Ant, Randy DP, Toseland, Elias will be picking up the occassional top 10 but I can't see them being there consistently. The field is looking much stronger for next year with the arrival of the 250 young guns.
That's a big call on Melandri there neninja, struggling for consistent top 10's. Sure he's struggled in early testing but he is class and I would expect him to be a consistent front runner.
On Ant, whilst I really want him to succeed, I don't mind if he fails so long as he gets to show his full talents unhindered by injury or mechanical failure. All I've ever wanted for Ant was the opportunity to find out if he really has what it takes to be competitive or if he is no more than an also-ran at the highest level. This is finally that chance and hopefully he can make the most of it. :up:
I agree it is a big call on Marco but he has been so inconsistent this year and appears to be struggling with the Ducati. The same happened to Loris on the 800cc Ducati and I think Marco will find it hard to adapt.
As Rossi says riders such as Marco and Loris are finding it hard to use traction control to it's maximum potential as they are so used to doing it themselves whereas the riders more recently moved over from 250 seem to adapt quicker to the traction control as they've never known anything else on the big bikes.
It seems apparent that Casey really worked wonders with the Ducati and was in perfect harmony with it where other riders say it's a handful and very flighty.
Sorry for hijacking the Ant thread
In the spirit of Christmas...You are forgiven!! :) :) :) ;)
Couldn't have put it better myself, oh actually i could :D only because i think he has a damn good chance of being successful, aswell as showing how fast he is ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaMaster
5 of my faourite riders together!!
http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/prev...p7lGcVCfEu9Jwx
I dont think Honda and Yamaha will dramatically improve in 08, unless they turn out somthing completely new? at least based testing times so far...Quote:
Originally Posted by neninja
Ant will improve probably also given time on the Kwaka as will Marco on the Duc.
I find it hard to believe Loris and Alex could not ride around the traction control on the Duc anyway, something there is indicating that the difference was infact Casey alone. 08 will be interesting for sure because if Casey was the difference he will likely dominate again and unless the other manufacturers can pull monumental rabbits out of their hats the results will be very similar in 08... :s mokin:
Ant has changed his website address. See below......
His old one will continue to be active for a while yet and will carry the same content in anycase.....
Go team DUDE in 2008.....
Thank god it's the 22 Jan today and "the season" begins. I for one have been suffering severe withdrawal.
Jack
i was hoping Ant's website would be getting an update, seems a bit dated to me.. it also isn't updated as often as it should be... compared to other riders anywho... hmm, wonder if Ant's getting new lid/leathers/sponsors at all this year.. Pantah, you know anything? peace..
I was thinking that too! Ant really needs his own Fan Club Forum site like lots of other riders have.Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
The site he has now doesn't seem to be updated very often at all. If Jack wasn't about to give us some info we wouldn't know anything at all.
I pass on all Jacks info about Ant to other forums I am on as they all LOVE Ant ;)
Thanks Jack!! Keep the info flowing.
Judging by the times over the tests at Sepang, i really do hope Ant was running a hell of a lot of installation laps and chopping and changing setup, as those times weren't good at all.
With the time of year it is, I'm not real concerned by times. It just means his laps with a q tire weren't that good. I'll be more interested in his and everyone else's times come the final test.
Agreed, but you would still expect a bit more!Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaMaster
Sepang test pictures
http://mototribu.com/competition/mot...ang/index.html
Ant at Sepang test
same as the above but this starts at Ant picture!! Love the last piccie #154!!!
http://mototribu.com/competition/mot.../index147.html
I don't think you can read into the times too much just yet. Every team has new parts to try out and test, tyres, suspension bits and pieces etc. I agree that the more realistic times will come at the final test before the racing starts, but, even then, some of the riders and teams will sandbag IMO.