MotoGP news

West getting comfortable

Kawasaki's new team rider, Anthony West, put in a similarly robust performance in his first MotoGP practice session on the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR. Despite having never ridden in the company of these riders at this level, he more than held his own, finishing seventh fastest on combined times and spending much of the second practice dicing with Hopkins and Stoner for first place.

Fast and consistent, the 25-year-old Australian put in his fastest lap of the day,1'44.498, right at the end of the last session and the team were impressed, not only with his riding but with the expertise with which he managed to communicate his needs to his technicians. It's early days but things are gelling nicely.

Anthony West commented: "We had a few problems with the rear this morning but now it's a lot better. And it's really odd but the bike's becoming more comfortable even though the back tyre's done both sessions, so with a new tyre I'm sure we could go even quicker and get more traction. At the moment, I'm really happy. I'm excited to be here and today was a good day. I was worried about the rain this morning but it's turned out well and I like working with this team: they seem to understand what I want. We've been trying things out and playing around, seeing what I like and what I don't like. A lot of testing in a short time."

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