Anthony West (motorcycle racer)

Anthony " Ant " West (born 17 July 1981 in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia) is an Australian motorcycle racer.

2010 and 2011 he started for MZ in the Moto2 class of the Motorcycle World Championship.

After the planned switch failed in the MotoGP class for the 2012 season due to lack of sponsorship, gave West on 17 February 2012 the change in the British Superbike Championship known. He will drive a BMW S 1000 RR Super Sonic Team.

West is considered to be outspoken specialist in the rain; his only previous Grand Prix victory he celebrated in 2003 in the 250 cc class in the wet race in the Netherlands.

  • 3.1 External links
  • 3.2 Notes and references

Career

Anthony West began to gain their first experiences on motorcycles, like many other Australian motorcycle racer at dirt track racing. At the age of twelve, he won his first race and stretched himself in the Australian Championships for example, already with Chris Vermeulen.

In 1998, he debuted at the 125 cc Grand Prix of Australia in the Motorcycle World Championship.

250 cc World Championship ( 1999-2000)

For season 1999 Anthony West rose with the relatively inexperienced team Shell Advance Honda team in the 250 cc World Championship. With the sixth place at the Grand Prix of Germany at Sachsenring as the best result he was twelfth overall. 2000 Anthony West rose to sixth place overall, without, however, being able to achieve a podium finish.

500 cc world championship (2001)

For the 2001 season, West went on in the 500 cc class and started for the Dee Cee Jeans Racing Team inferior car. He came in almost every race to the finish, but mostly drove a few points and finished the season with 27 points to 18th place. For the season 2002 Anthony West had a place on an Aprilia factory bike in view, but found no sponsors to buy- for this place.

250 cc World Championship ( 2003-2006)

In the 2003 season, West went back to the 250 cc class for the Italian privateer team Zoppini Abruzzo at the start. He was a regular in the top ten and was in the rainy Dutch TT in Assen celebrate his only previous win in the Motorcycle World Championship. With the second place at his home Grand Prix at Phillip Iceland and two third ranks Anthony West finished the season with 145 points in seventh place in the overall standings.

The year 2004 was for West, again starting for the Abruzzo team, not so successful. He arrived not a single podium and was in the overall standings with 88 points eleventh.

For the 2005 season Anthony West has been committed by the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM as a driver for the newly launched 250cc project. However, three quarters of the season, he took part because of the faltering development of the bike and some technical problems at any Grand Prix. In the first half of the season so he acted as reserve driver for different teams. The first time the 250cc KTM, the rainy Grand Prix of Great Britain at Donington Park, West went on an excellent second place. Then get him but only placements in midfield, he was finally 17 of the World Cup. After the season, his contract was terminated with KTM because of disagreements over the development of the machine.

The 2006 season played Anthony West in the German retail team jaw -Bos - Racing on an Aprilia kit machine. His teammate, Dirk Heidolf. After a rather inconspicuous season on the underpowered machine, he finished eleventh in the standings.

Seasons 2007 and 2008

In the motorcycle world championship 2007 West started again in the 250cc World Championship, this time on an Aprilia - semi-works machine in the team Sicilia. After a disappointing start to the season in which he was unable to repeat the results of the previous year, he decided to leave the team.

How successful he can be on a competitive bike, Anthony West proved then in the Supersport World Championship. There he replaced in the Yamaha World Supersport racing team on a Yamaha YZF- R6 machine work his injured compatriot Kevin Curtain. In the first race in Monza he drove to third place. The following two races at Silverstone and Misano he could even win then. With only three races disputed West was WM- ninth.

After the Frenchman Olivier Jacque had resigned as a Kawasaki factory rider in the MotoGP class in June 2007, West was offered his place in the Kawasaki factory team until the end of the season because of the good results in the Supersport World Championship. West accepted and bought himself out of his meantime with Yamaha contract for the Supersport class. He came in the sequence at each of the eleven MotoGP races in which he took part in the finish, two ranks seventh in the United States and Japan were doing their best season results. Anthony West finished the season with 59 points finally as the 15th overall.

The 2008 season played Anthony West in the Kawasaki factory team in the MotoGP class, his new teammate was the American John Hopkins. Both Kawasaki rider fell far short of expectations, West was charged with 50 points WM- 18th and thus secures its worst. Only at Gran Prix of Czech Republic in Brno, the Australians managed sixth place in qualifying and finished fifth in the race an outstanding result. His end of the season expiring contract with the Greens, who even retired at the end of the year, completely out of the MotoGP class was not extended. However, there have been attempts by the Japanese to keep West in another championship as factory drivers, but have not been put into action.

Supersport World Championship (2009)

In the 2009 season, Anthony West started with the Italians Gianluca Vizziello for the Swedish Honda privateer team Stiggy Honda Racing the ex- Grand Prix driver Johan Stigefelt on Honda CBR 600 RR in the Supersport World Championship. The Australian took constant places in the top ten. His best season results were second places in Valencia and Brno. Before the last race of the season, the team moved but for financial reasons completely out of the World Cup back after the meantime already could not afford the budget for use Vizziellos. In the overall standings with 117 points occupied West the seventh overall.

Moto2 (2010-2011)

In 2010 Anthony West went in the newly created Moto2 class of the Motorcycle World Championship for the team from the German manufacturer MZ at the start. After the Stiggy team retreat Johan Stigefelt had a Honda CBR 600 RR sold at the acquired Martin Wimmer and Ralf Waldmann Saxon manufacturer in the fall of 2009, on the basis of a Moto2 chassis is designed with steel lattice frame. West, the project had been accompanied throughout the entire season as a test driver and achieves results regularly in front of the field.

The season in more than 40 starters characterized by a high power density series was marked by fluctuating results. After the loss in the season opener in Qatar West drove already at the second round in Jerez, Spain, with rank 15 its first point. This was followed by four races with placements outside the points. In Catalonia Grand Prix in Barcelona, ​​won the Australian ninth, even when following the Grand Prix of Germany, he pointed with his 13th place in a strong performance. After further placements in the midfield, usually outside the points, Anthony West drove the Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril with his best result of the season in seventh one. The winner Stefan Bradl ( Suter ) he lacked while only 3.385 seconds. With 26 points West finished 23 overall in the final rankings.

Also in the season 2011 Anthony West joined for MZ in the Moto2 class. His teammate was Max Neukirchen, who moved from the Superbike World Championship .. In the Dutch TT at Assen he took in changing conditions in fourth place, he could this success at the last race of the season, repeat the Grand Prix of Valencia. West finished at the end of the season with 40 points 22 place in the standings, two points behind his teammate Max Neukirchen.

Projected rise in the MotoGP class for the 2012 season

In November 2011 it was announced that West planning move up to the MotoGP with the Speed ​​Master team and a Claiming Rule motorcycle. In January 2012, West had announced that he would not ascend to MotoGP, because he could not obtain the required 250,000 euros sponsors money. West subsequently announced to want to go absolutely no races this year and go back to Australia

British Superbike Championship

In February 2012 it was announced that West in the British Superbike Championship with a BMW S 1000 RR the Italian Super Sonic teams will go to the start.

Statistics

In the World Motorcycle Championship

( Stand: Grand Prix of San Marino, September 16, 2012)

In the Supersport World Championship

References

Pictures of Anthony West (motorcycle racer)

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