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Hard charging Anthony West showed
today at Assen why he was drafted into the Kawasaki Racing Team
for the remainder of the 2007 season, as he stormed to an impressive,
and hard fought, top ten finish in only his second MotoGP race
aboard Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR.
West, who only joined the team at last week's Donington Park
race in the UK, has barely had time to get used to the 800cc
Ninja ZX-RR but that didn't stop him finishing the Dutch TT Grand
Prix in a superb ninth position.
The ex-250cc and World Supersport rider, with a reputation for
being a wet weather maestro, surprised and delighted the team
with an exemplary performance at a dry and sunny Circuit van
Drenthe. He showed great determination and a tenacity rarely
seen in a newcomer to the premier class.
After a patchy start from an otherwise healthy seventh place
on the grid, the 25-year-old Australian soon got into the swing
of things, eventually finding himself in a four-way battle with
Alex Hofmann, Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri. Despite the best
efforts of these infinitely more experienced riders to unnerve
him, West held his own, dicing with enthusiasm as the riders
rode a large proportion of the race in each other's company.
Having found huge confidence in his new machinery and Bridgestone
tyres, West never weakened, staying strong in the pack and earning
himself more championship points to take his total to 12 after
just two races.
Fellow ZX-RR rider, de Puniet, also got off to a bad start but,
similarly, began to make great progress as he established his
rhythm. It was disappointing after his front row start, his second
of the year, but he soon caught up with Chris Vermeulen, lying
in seventh, making a charge towards the front runners.
After some extremely strong and promising early laps, he went
to pass the young Australian but they collided and both ended
up in the gravel. De Puniet, unable to restart, returned to the
pits, out of the race.
It was a massive disappointment to the Frenchman, who's been
putting in some great rides lately, especially at Catalunya and
Donington, where he managed a fifth and a sixth, respectively.
It also continues his bad luck at Assen, after last year's nightmare
when a mechanical problem meant he had to start from pit lane.
It's two weeks until the next MotoGP race, at Germany's Sachsenring
on 15th July, giving both Kawasaki men plenty of time to reflect
on the highs and lows of what transpired to be a thrilling race
for the 91,429 fans who gathered to watch it. |
