DOUBLE BLOW FOR KAWASAKI IN ASSEN
After the disappointment of the qualifying crash that sidelined
John Hopkins, the Kawasaki Racing Team were dealt a double
blow at Assen today when Anthony West crashed out of the Dutch
TT just 7 laps into the race.
The 26-year-old Kawasaki pilot got a good start from the
sixth row of the grid, but lost contact with the group ahead
of him after losing time avoiding Alex De Angelis, who highsided
himself out the race on the opening lap, right in front of
West's Ninja ZX-RR.
With his head down and his lap times the same as the riders
battling for fourth place, West fought his way back to 11th
position and was starting to close the gap to the group ahead
of him. Another top ten finish looked a distinct possibility
for the Kawasaki pilot, until he lost the front under braking
for the right-hand corner at Stekkenwal and crashed out of
the race.
With Hopkins already on his way back to America for further
medical treatment by the time West lined up to start the 26-lap
race, the Australian's premature exit marks the first time
this season that a Kawasaki has not made it all the way to
the chequered flag.
While obviously disappointed with today's result, West remains
confident that the recent engine upgrades to his Ninja ZX-RR
will allow him to make amends in the next race in Sachsenring,
which takes place in just two weeks time.
Whether Kawasaki teammate Hopkins will be riding alongside
West in Germany remains to be seen. The 25-year-old Anglo-American
will undergo a bone scan in Los Angeles next week that should
reveal more about his two tibia fractures and the crack in
the lateral malleolus bone of his ankle, sustained when he
collided with the tyre wall on the outside of the ultra-fast
Ramshoek corner.
Only once the full extent of Hopkins' injuries are known
will a decision be made as to whether he will rejoin West
for the German Grand Prix in Sachsenring.
Anthony West
#13 - DNF
"I got a good start to the race, although it was difficult
from so far back on the grid because the first turn is quite
tight. I had made up a few places when Alex de Angelis highsided
in front of me and I had to almost stop the machine to avoid
hitting him. The bike was feeling good and in the next few
laps I managed to pass a few people into 11th place. I was
sure I could catch the group ahead of me and be well within
the top ten, but we were lapping at a similar pace and with
the incident at the start, I had to push just that little
bit harder. Unfortunately I lost the front of the bike and
crashed out, which is a real disappointment because we were
quite strong today. The new engine upgrades have made a difference
and we still have more grip than previously, despite struggling
a little bit in places with cornering. We just need some luck
on our side and, hopefully, we'll be fighting for good positions
next time out at Sachsenring."
Michael Bartholemy
Kawasaki Competition Manager
"We've made a lot of improvements this weekend, so it
is quite disheartening to come away with no points. John's
injuries from the crash yesterday ruled him out of the race,
so all of our hopes were on Anthony, who I felt sure was capable
of repeating his top-ten Donington success. The incident at
turn one left him quite a long way back, but he rode hard
to pass a few people into 11th place, and was catching the
group ahead of him. His lap times were consistently fast and
it's a real frustration because with the upgrades we've made
this weekend, he was very capable of achieving a good result.
We now have to focus on taking advantage of the developments
we've made at the next round."
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 42'12.337; 2. Dani
Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +11.310; 3. Colin Edwards
(USA) Tech 3 Yamaha +17.125; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol
Honda Team +20.477; 5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JIR Team Scot
+27.346; 6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +28.608; 7. Chris
Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +32.330; 8. Shinya Nakano
(JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini +34.892; 9. James Toseland (GBR)
Tech 3 Yamaha +38.566; 10. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Teamw
+38.817; DNF. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +19
Laps; DNS. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing Team +26 Laps
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