KAWASAKI READY FOR THE START OF A NEW SEASON
The first round of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship takes
place this weekend and the Kawasaki Racing Team is ready to
launch itself in to the new season with a new rider and an
updated Ninja ZX-RR.
Qatar's Losail circuit will host the inaugural round on Sunday
9th March and will do so, historically, at night. The track
got the go ahead last year to erect a lighting system the
likes of which the sporting world has never before seen and,
when the whole circuit is illuminated, it uses up a mammoth
5.4 million watts of power to light its 16 corners.
All the teams spent two days last week testing in preparation
for the forthcoming race and Kawasaki's John Hopkins and Anthony
West are ready for the challenge, despite a few setbacks.
Hopkins, who will be racing the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR for the
first time, is still suffering the after-effects of a crash
at Phillip Island last month. Muscle damage in his groin is
still causing the 24-year-old Anglo-American some discomfort
but he's making a rapid recovery now and is sure he'll be
fit enough to give it his all come Sunday night.
West, meanwhile, has been making great headway on his newly-updated
machine but has doubts about the effect the cold, desert night
conditions may have on his Bridgestone tyres. The 27-year-old
Australian was one of many crashers during last week's test
as temperatures at the circuit drop considerably as evening
falls, lessening grip. However, he is hugely excited to soon
be racing again and feels any such obstacles can be overcome
with the set up he and his crew have been working on.
Losail is close to the Qatari capital, Doha, and was opened
as recently as 2004. The circuit, at 5.38kms is the longest
in the MotoGP calendar and, fast and flowing, will suit the
ZX-RRs well.
Overall, the mood in the Kawasaki camp is optimistic and
the team are looking forward to the new season. The weekend
kicks off with the first practice session this Friday at 19:00
hours, local time, while the race itself will be held on Sunday
night, starting at 23:00 hours, local time.
John Hopkins
Kawasaki Pilot #21
"I'm real excited to start the year! I feel my injury
should be fine come race day as the pain has subsided a lot
compared to how it was feeling a week ago. We have had a restful
few days, which I feel has helped it, and I have been doing
small exercises to strengthen the muscles which have improved
the condition dramatically. I feel good. Plus, once the adrenaline
kicks in, I know I will be ready to go! As for the machine?
I couldn't be keener. We made some successful steps forward
with race tyres and a few other parts at the test last week
and I'm ready to get the first race under my belt with the
Kawasaki. Fingers crossed."
Anthony West
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
"I'm not feeling as good as I'd like as my lap times
in testing weren't what I was hoping for. I'm quite concerned
about the temperatures at night in Qatar as it was so cold
and that affected the tyres more than I was comfortable with.
But we still made loads of big improvements to the bike. I'm
really pleased with the feeling I'm getting from the new chassis
and the set up generally has really come together over the
testing season. But I'm keen to get back to racing now. Physically,
I'm feeling fit and a lot stronger so I'm ready to get on
with it."
Michael Bartholemy
Kawasaki Competition Manager
"We didn't have the easiest time at the tests last week.
John's injury has obviously been an issue for us and the temperatures
at the track caused some problems, too, grip-wise. Anthony
in particular suffered a lack of confidence in the grip available,
as it was so cold that he struggled to get the tyres up to
temperature. We weren't the only team to struggle with this
but, on the positive side, it seems the night temperatures
are now rising a bit so hopefully we will see an improvement
in available grip for the race. The biggest step we can take
for now is to hope John, after an extra week for recovery,
is in good shape for Sunday. It's the start of a new season
and I'm looking forward to the racing and, hopefully, plenty
of good results."
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