KAWASAKI CONCLUDES 2007 AFTER THREE DAYS AT JEREZ
On-track MotoGP activity ended for 2007 today after the final
test of the year drew to a close at Jerez. The Kawasaki Racing
Team have been using the time at the Spanish track to test
new parts and a variety of Bridgestone tyres whilst working
to improve the overall package of the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR.
Newcomer to the team, John Hopkins, has been giving plenty
of feedback to his engineers and is making steady progress
at perfecting the bike for his requirements. A new frame,
clutch parts and engine components are amongst numerous changes
which have assisted the 24-year-old in his task and he's already
feeling at home.
Anthony West, similarly, has been using his first ever winter
test season to really get to grips with the bike he first
rode, mid season, earlier this year. Like Hopkins, he has
been involved in an effort to improve corner stability in
addition to trying out numerous settings and parts on his
machine.
Lap times have not been a concern for either rider as the
objective at present is to ensure both bikes are working at
the highest possible level and in such a way so that both
Hopkins and West can take full advantage of them.
Overall, the team are feeling hugely positive after their
time at Jerez, and Valencia and Phillip Island before that,
and are more than satisfied they are moving in the right direction.
Enormous amounts of data have been collected and, along with
the responses of riders and engineers, the feedback will head
to Kawasaki in Japan for analysis and action during December's
test ban period.
As the team depart Spain for the winter break, Hopkins is
looking forward to his imminent marriage to his fiancee, Ashleigh,
whilst West has a punishing fitness schedule lined up. They
will be back in action at Sepang in late January 2008, ready
to continue their preparations for next season.
Anthony West
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
“While the lap times haven't been what I was hoping
for, we've covered a lot of ground during the three days here
at Jerez. We've tried a whole range of different settings,
switching from one extreme to the other, to give us a better
understanding of the effect these changes have on the bike.
The result is that both my new crew chief, Juan Martinez,
and myself will head to the next test in Sepang with a much
better understanding of how the bike works and what combination
of settings best suits my riding style. From here I go to
Munich to have a plate and four screws removed from my left
wrist, after which I'll head back home to Australia for Christmas.
After a hectic second half to the season I was intending to
chill out for a while when I got home, but if I've learnt
one thing this year it's that you have to be fit to ride in
MotoGP, so the plan now is to work on my fitness over the
testing ban, with a few hundred laps on the motocross bike."
Michael Bartholemy
Kawasaki Competition Manager
"We finish the season happy with what we've achieved
since the Valencia race. The new team members have been integrated
into our existing structure with no problems, and already
we're starting to see the benefits of their experience. We're
also benefiting from the arrival of John Hopkins. His feedback
has been extremely accurate and we now have a clear direction
for our development engineers. That he's jumped on our Ninja
ZX-RR and declared the bike only in need of some refinement,
and no fundamental changes, means that Kawasaki's race engineers
will be able to focus completely on addressing the areas for
improvement that he's identified. The work that John has done
over the last month will also pay dividends for Anthony, as
he prepares for his first full winter test schedule aboard
our MotoGP machine. Everyone in the team has shown outstanding
commitment this year, and I hope that the six week break will
provide them with an opportunity to recharge their batteries
and come back next season more committed than ever. To everyone
involved with the Kawasaki Racing Team this year, I'd like
to say a big thank you."
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