PHILLIP ISLAND BECKONS FOR CONFIDENT KAWASAKI
MotoGP heads to the Southern Hemisphere this week for the
16th round of the world championship at Phillip Island. After
a hugely uplifting performance last time out at Motegi, the
Kawasaki Racing Team are looking forward to continuing their
success following Randy de Puniet's excellent second place,
his first premier class podium, and Anthony West's hard-fought
seventh.
Riding the ZX-RR, powered by the latest incarnation of the
800cc, four-stroke engine, and running the Bridgestone tyres
that have dominated the series so far this year, de Puniet
is looking stronger than ever.
With the Ninja repeatedly showing itself to be one of the
fastest bikes on the track, and the number 14 pilot regularly
proving to be one of the fastest men, the swooping, high speed
turns of the Australian circuit represent an alluring challenge
and the 26-year-old Frenchman's aiming high. After Shinya
Nakano's early promise in last year's round, during which
he built up a five second lead on the 990cc ZX-RR before weather
conditions and tyre wear saw him relegated to eighth, de Puniet
intends to secure a first top five finish for Kawasaki at
the Island.
For stable mate, Anthony West, this will be his home round.
Hailing from Queensland's Gold Coast, the 26-year-old Australian
has had a stormy relationship with the Phillip Island circuit
in the past, seeing everything from the second step of the
250cc podium in 2003, to a horrendous, 267kmph, first corner
crash in 2004. Furthermore, he made his grand prix racing
debut when he rode in the 125cc world championship round there
in 1998.
With the support of his home fans, and the unforgettable
seventh place at Motegi fresh in his mind, which he gained
despite stalling the bike and pitting twice, West will show
no mercy in his determination to demonstrate his talent at
Sunday's 27-lap race.
Phillip Island itself is a legendary circuit with a history
going back to 1928. It boasts some spectacular ocean views
as well as having hosted some of motorcycle racing's greatest
battles. The 4.45km track slithers its way through numerous
turns, rounded off by the super-quick, start/finish Gardner
straight, named after erstwhile Australian world champion,
Wayne Gardner, who won the first 500cc round to be held in
his home country, at Phillip Island, back in 1989.
With unpredictable weather and no end of high-speed curves,
the circuit's a test of endurance for both rider and machine.
And there's the added emphasis on the importance of tyre choice
to survive the strain provided by all the long, and very rapid,
left-handers, the most impressive of which are the terrifying
turn one (Doohan's) and the final turn 12: two of the fastest
corners on the calendar.
Randy de Puniet
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #14
"I like Phillip Island; it's one of the best tracks in
the world championship. There aren't many straights and the
first and last corners are very, very fast, which is why it's
a favourite! I had a hard race there last year, when it started
to rain and we had to change bikes and I finished 11th, so
I hope I can do better than that this time round. Certainly,
I'm feeling really motivated after the podium at Motegi and,
with the help of my crew who've been working so hard, I'm
aiming for a top five at least, although another podium before
the end of the season would be perfect."
Anthony West
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
"I'm really looking forward to Phillip Island as it's
my home race, even though I've had quite a mixture of luck
there in the past. All my family and friends are coming to
watch, and they haven't been able to get to a race for ages,
so that'll be great. It should be an exciting round: the bike
was working brilliantly at the last race in Japan so, if we
continue progressing the way we have recently and I get a
good qualifying lap in, we should do well."
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