Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Racing Team rider Anthony West (left) negotiates a bend during the the Moto2 category race at the German Grand Prix.
Sachsenring, Germany: After the disappointment in qualifying for the German Grand Prix, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Racing Team rider Anthony West bounced back from 16th spot on the grid and finished strong eighth place in the Moto2 class, yesterday.
The 31-year-old Australian was held up at the start when another rider crossed his line, but then clawed his way back through the field impressively.
In 20th position after one lap, West made it to 16th by lap three and continued his march, taking 14th by lap nine, 12th by lap 18, 10th by lap 20 and eighth by lap 22. It was a position he defended masterfully against Dominique Aegerter and Takaaki Nakagami until he crossed the finish line.
After the race, West said: “At the start of the race, another rider cut in front of me really dangerously. This is why my start was not so good and why I went backwards to 24th position. Apart from this early setback, I felt strong and the bike was good.”
He explained: “I felt a lot faster than everybody else around me and I could fight to catch up even though it was difficult to pass because this track is so tight. I think I could have caught Scott Redding in the end, but I had problems all weekend with the gearbox. It kept shifting out of sixth gear into fifth on both straights, a problem that re-occurred towards the end of the race and made me lose a lot of time on the last five laps.”
He added: “Overall, the race was good and I am happy with it. I am also happy with the job the team has done. We still need to improve things, but it was not a bad day. In future, we just need to improve the rest of the weekend and qualify better. Now I’m really looking forward to a few weeks of holiday in order to recharge my batteries and to focus on the second part of the season in which I hope we can be even stronger.”
West’s team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto was also smiling after the race.
In three trouble- and incident-free days, the Indonesian teenager had not only learned a lot, but was also awarded with 28th place, a result he can build on when the second part of the Moto2 season kicks of with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in four weeks.
Sucipto said: “I am happy with the race and with the way the whole weekend went. We didn’t have any crashes, we managed to improve steadily and 28th place is a result that I can build on in the future.” THE PENINSULA
