Kawasaki pairing expectant of Misano result

Anthony West and John Hopkins are in positive spirits following a Brno boost.
Kawasaki Racing garage

Anthony West´s prayers were answered last year at Misano when rain fell on the opening day of practice - the Australian having expressed his desire for a washout in order to counteract the extra practice time given to the MotoGP riders at their first ride of the track. West had already ridden the circuit in Supersport competition.

Any advantage that the 27 year-old rider had then is certainly not present now. All of his premier class rivals have some form of experience at Misano in both wet and dry conditions. However, eighth place in the 2007 visit and a recent career-best finish of fifth at Brno means that West can still expect a strong performance this weekend.

`I am looking forward to going to Misano following my best ever result in MotoGP last time out at Brno,´ says the Australian, on his way out of Kawasaki´s MotoGP factory setup at the end of the season.

`We had a positive post-race test there, and we managed to make further improvements to the bike, which has certainly made it easier to ride. I hope that we can continue with our development this weekend because I am determined for us to be fighting for more strong results in the dry.´

West will be aiming to put his name in the shop window at the last six races of 2008, and has been preparing for the task with a continuation of his training regime near to the Misano track.

`I have spent the last few days in Italy, where I´ve been out cycling, so I feel relaxed and ready to take on the challenge. There´s a good atmosphere at this circuit, but after last year´s washout on the opening practice day, the weather could play a really big part in proceedings.´

West´s recent result at Brno has also spurred on teammate John Hopkins, who made his comeback in impressive fashion at the Czech round. Unfortunately for last year´s third-place finisher at Misano, Hopkins was unable to play anything more than a minimal part in the post-race test, due to a rib injury that has now cleared up.

`We had a positive weekend in Brno following my return to the track after a long absence through injury and we managed to put the Kawasaki on the front row. Although I didn´t quite achieve the result we were hoping for, Anthony got into the top five, which just shows that the Kawasaki is improving all of the time and is capable of gaining good results,´ says the Anglo-American in the run-up to the San Marino race.

`I really enjoy the Misano circuit, I managed to get on the podium there last year so it´s certainly a track I like. I´ve spent the last week in Miami resting and training just to give the injuries that I am still carrying the best possible time to recuperate, so I´m feeling stronger and ready to achieve the results we are more than capable of.´