ALL CHANGE AT KAWASAKI BEFORE THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX The Kawasaki Racing Team confirmed today that Anthony West has accepted a ride on the factory Ninja ZX-RR for the rest of the 2007 MotoGP season. The 25-year-old Australian rider fills the void created by the decision for Olivier Jacque to move permanently to the role of test and development rider for the team. After a number of crashes, which have resulted in numerous injuries and missed races, Jacque has been feeling increasingly uneasy about continuing in the series. Furthermore, Kawasaki’s regular test rider, Naoki Matsudo, is out of action due to injuries sustained earlier this year. Therefore, the decision was made for Jacque, a former 250cc world champion, to return to full-time testing and development: an area where his skill and experience are proven and desperately needed. Much of the season has seen the Ninja ZX-RR being ridden by team rider, Randy de Puniet, without the added input and expertise of another rider to maximise development potential. With Jacque now able to concentrate his efforts away from racing, the team feel confident the evolution of the bike will move onwards and upwards. Taking Jacque’s place as permanent team rider, Anthony West joins the squad from having previously ridden an Aprilia in the 250cc class. Unhappy in that championship, he went on to make his mark as a stand in rider for the Yamaha World Supersport team. In just three races on the 600cc machine, West took one third place, at Monza, and two wins, at Silverstone and, last weekend, at Misano, which caught the attention of Kawasaki bosses and helped promote him to his new position in the premier class. Making his factory MotoGP debut alongside Randy this weekend at the British Grand Prix at Donington Park, West has had little opportunity so far to ride Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-RR other than a brief testing session after the race at Catalunya, two weeks ago. Unable to ride his usual number, 14, as it’s already taken by teammate de Puniet, Anthony has bravely adopted the number 13 as his own. It is, as they say, lucky for some, and that’s what the Kawasaki team are hoping for with their new line up as the season continues. Olivier Jacque Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #19 “I’ve crashed on several occasions this season, often with severe injuries and, right now, I feel tired and physically diminished. My body keeps telling me maybe it’s time to move on and I don’t feel competitive enough to ride at the top level. Obviously, it was a difficult decision to make but Kawasaki and I have reached an agreement that will allow me to stay involved in the racing world, for which I’m passionate, and play a role from the other side of the fence. I’m truly satisfied with this compromise and I wish the team plenty of success with a new, young rider because they really deserve it. I’m convinced the Kawasaki Racing Team has only just begun its MotoGP success.” Anthony West Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13 “I left my 250cc team because the results weren’t coming and I wasn’t very happy there. Then I did some races on 600cc bikes with the Yamaha team, which have been really good and now I’m here to ride an 800cc factory MotoGP bike. Coming up from smaller bikes, the Ninja is much more comfortable to ride: it’s bigger, I feel more natural on it and, overall, it suits me more. When I tested the ZX-RR, it felt right straight away: a lot easier to ride than I expected and the power’s so smooth and easy to use. I’m really pleased to be joining the Kawasaki Racing Team: they’re great guys and really experienced. For the rest of the season, my aim is to be consistent, try to get some results and not to crash it straight away!” Michael Bartholemy Kawasaki Competition Manager “I think maybe we expected too much of Olivier this season. Last year he did a fantastic job developing the Ninja ZX-RR that has proved so competitive this year but, in hindsight, expecting him to be able to continue the development process whilst also racing at this level was unrealistic. But we need someone to fulfil this development role, and Olivier is the ideal person to shoulder this responsibility. Once he has fully recovered from the injuries sustained in his Shanghai and Catalunya crashes, Olivier will revert to the role of test and development rider for Kawasaki, on a two-year contract, and we’re confident we’ll see our development back on track as a result. For Anthony, moving up to the premier series as a factory rider is a big step, but he showed some potential during his brief test aboard our bike in Catalunya, and we hope we can help him realise this potential during the remainder of the season. Now we have two young guns on our bike, and both of them will be able to call upon Olivier’s experience whenever they need it. I think this new situation will benefit everyone, and will allow us to show the true performance of our Ninja ZX-RR. Finally, I would like to say thank you to Yamaha, and Racing Manager Laurens Klein Koerkamp in particular, for releasing Anthony and allowing him to realise his dream of competing as a factory rider in MotoGP.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NEW LOOK KAWASAKI READY TO HIT DONINGTON This weekend sees the return of the MotoGP series to the UK for the Nickel and Dime British Grand Prix at Donington Park. The Kawasaki squad, represented by Randy de Puniet and new teammate, Anthony West, will be there to continue the offensive in what is proving to be a very exciting season indeed. De Puniet is nearly fully recovered from the accident at Le Mans, which caused his knee to swell dramatically and painfully. His gutsy ride at Catalunya saw him claim fifth place, his best ever finish in a MotoGP race, despite the injury. He is now back to around 80% fitness and keen to prove he can put in another impressive performance. Having won at Donington in the 250cc class in 2005 and, with ever increasing confidence in his bike and Bridgestone tyres, he knows he’s got what it takes to secure a good run at the Midlands circuit, as long as his knee holds out. Meanwhile, Anthony West will make his MotoGP debut aboard the Ninja ZX-RR this weekend, completing the rider line up. The 25-year-old Australian has joined the team as a replacement for Olivier Jacque who, in agreement with Kawasaki, is standing aside for a younger rider whilst maintaining a vital role, testing and developing the bike for Kawasaki. Gaining spectacular results in the World Supersport championship as a stand in rider over the past month, West, who has primarily raced 250cc machines, raised eyebrows after claiming one third place and two wins in just three races on an unfamiliar motorcycle. West rode the 800cc Kawasaki MotoGP racer during a one-day test at Catalunya after the last Grand Prix. Other than that, his first real chance to show what he can do on the machine will come in Friday’s first free practice session. Still swaying from the unexpected invitation, he’s delighted to have joined the factory team and looks forward to making his mark on the premier class. Donington Park provides a spectacular backdrop to motorcycle racing. A natural amphitheatre, the 2.5 mile/4.023km circuit consists of fast, flowing sections combined with hard braking and ever-tightening corners. In other words, it has plenty of everything and will test each rider, and their bike, to the maximum. With the ZX-RR increasingly competitive, the new-look Kawasaki team are looking forward with confidence to facing the challenges both of this weekend and the rest of the season to come. Randy De Puniet Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #14 “I’m feeling ok about this weekend and I hope to do at least as well as we did in Barcelona. My knee is much better than it was after it was drained last week, not perfect yet though, and my shoulder still isn’t moving properly, so I’m not 100% fit yet and haven’t been able to do any training for a month. I like Donington except, perhaps, for the last two corners! I won here in 2005 on the 250 and did ok last year so yes, I’m confident after the race in Spain, feeling pretty good and hoping to do well this weekend too.” Anthony West Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13 “Naturally, I’m feeling a bit nervous. I haven’t done many laps on the bike and this is MotoGP so it’s going to be very different to anything I’ve raced before. I don’t know what to expect at the moment, I just want to finish the race and not crash. It would be great to come in the top ten but I don’t know if it’s really possible or not: I’ve never raced against these guys before. I’m feeling confident, though, and I’m glad I’ve been riding 600s recently as it would have been even more difficult coming here straight from 250s. I like this circuit, and the team really seem to know what they’re doing, so I’m sure they’ll find a good set up to start me off and we’ll take it from there.”