Ant West Blog

[Lone Wolf]

http://www.crash.net

Will all you bar-room and chatroom punters out there who write off the careers of under-performing riders like they're victims in a video game please read what follows.

Anthony West is probably in your sights at the moment, the 27-year-old Australian struggling with the Kawasaki and sitting last in the MotoGP championship table. But nobody tries to ride a MotoGP bike slowly.

"It seemed easy when I jumped on the bike last year and got good results [two seventh places after being drafted in at mid-season]," Westy told me. "When you do good everyone becomes your friend and you get a lot of support. But as soon as you're doing bad they're all experts and they're telling you what's wrong with the bike and what's wrong with you."

So what prevents him from repeating his promising debut with the ZX-RR?

"First I thought it was the bike, then I thought it was me," he said. "My biggest problem is confidence: the engine is too aggressive for me. It spins up all the time and it's a real drama. I'm feeling pretty down at the moment, and in this game I know that if I don't improve someone else could easily take my ride."

And that's the one thing that West dreads: falling back into that black hole of low-pay or no-pay rides on uncompetitive bikes. He's spent ten years in Europe mainly riding in 250cc GPs (best seasons: sixth in 2000, seventh in 2003).

"I don't own a house, I have no savings and my car is an eight-year-old Suburu WRX," he said. "I've just moved to Belgium to be with the team, but before that I was living in a €330-a-month semi-basement one-room flat in Salzburg [due to a former ride with KTM]. I knew no one there and it felt like a prison."

It turns out that Westy owes his old man a staggering million Australian dollars (£482,000/€614,000/$955,000). "He wanted to retire when he was 50, but now he's 61 and he's working harder than ever."

Look, dear Crash.net visitors, I'm not trying to make you weep. Riders make their own decisions and have the freedom to do other jobs. It's just that there is a dark side to motorcycle racing.

[Poyda]

I wish Westy all the best in the big time, I really do, but maybe, just maybe he shouldn't have been so eager to get into the GP and taken the first offer, everyone knows the kwakas are hard to ride. Maybe he should have stayed in the supers and made some money, paid his old man back, got him self sorted and had a few less woes to drag him down, then he'd be able to focus on riding with no distraction. You can see clearly on the grid every race he looks like the rope is around his neck, and we all know when you don't like going to work, you won't be putting in 100%.

I have to admit I've been critical of Westy over the last few years, the stunt at PI with the broken wrist/s just exaserbates my frustration. Ever since he got into Supers and now GP I've shup up and watched him go, the boy has talent, no doubt, but sometimes he just makes a poor decision, and now he has to suffer the consequences. I really hope he can get the bike sorted and get some better results. Maybe he needs to reconsider his future in the GP class, don't leave it unless you have no option, but maybe get something more rideable, that suits his style, as I don't think he is at a point where he can change his style to suit a bike that even Hopper is struggling with.

It's just a pity he couldn't maintain the same form as last year, even running midfield is better than last in his case.

Good luck Westy

[triway]

Good rider or not, to owe his old man that much $$$$$$$$ and have him needing to work into his 60's when he was to retire at 50 is just plain selfish, self centred, and seriously lacking in moral standards imho!

[Rossi]

Good rider or not, to owe his old man that much $$$$$$$$ and have him needing to work into his 60's when he was to retire at 50 is just plain selfish, self centred, and seriously lacking in moral standards imho!

Try asking how much Stoner owes to his parents
They sold everything to take him on the Euro circuits

[smek]

Good rider or not, to owe his old man that much $$$$$$$$ and have him needing to work into his 60's when he was to retire at 50 is just plain selfish, self centred, and seriously lacking in moral standards imho!

Try asking how much Stoner owes to his parents
They sold everything to take him on the Euro circuits

probably not that much anymore =D

[aardvark]

I don't think the parents of these youngsters consider that their sons owe them anything. If, as a parent, you aren't prepared to put their future before yours, then you shouldn't have had them to start with.

I asked Colin Stoner if he'd ever regretted packing up and moving to the UK for Casey and he said "Not once. Even if it had never worked out, not once did I think we'd made the wrong choice".

[ZXR750]

Good rider or not, to owe his old man that much $$$$$$$$ and have him needing to work into his 60's when he was to retire at 50 is just plain selfish, self centred, and seriously lacking in moral standards imho!

Try asking how much Stoner owes to his parents
They sold everything to take him on the Euro circuits

Stoner was only about 14 at the time. He was not old enough to make a decision like that. I don't think the two can be compared. As an adult Casey has not had to be in a position like that.

[Makybe05]

Give Westy a few more races to prove his case, if he doesn't show any improvement, bring in another rider. Possibly buy out Melandri's contract with Ducati and get him on the bike? Kawasaki is running a business and Westy is certainly not performing. I guess both sides need to lift their game.

[matt76]

I don't think the parents of these youngsters consider that their sons owe them anything. If, as a parent, you aren't prepared to put their future before yours, then you shouldn't have had them to start with.

Exactly right, hell my three kids must owe me a hundred grand by now, and thats only feeding/clothing/housing them. Its very interesting to hear that side of the story, he gets a lot of flack and Im sure he is doing his best every single race trying to make it better. I really dont think he can make a difference on the kwaka (I would love him to prove me wrong) I just hope that whatever happens next will get him a little bit secure and successful.

[javaman]

Would you put a million bucks, if you have it, to have your kid race *the* MotoGP ? I hesitate none

[fireyrob]

Would you put a million bucks, if you have it, to have your kid race *the* MotoGP ? I hesitate none

It sounds like he didn't really "have it" to hand over... But I doubt the oldman is spewing! You only live once

[hoffy]

Hey Westy...were all the same mate..

If I dont perform in my job, I get sacked....simple, it's no different really. And If I dont like that job, go and get another one.

No-one is going to say the bike is great, Hopkins reckons it's shit too, but if you do your best you have nothing to worry about..simple.

Just ride the farkin wheels off it as much as you can & HTFU !!

[SAPhil]

What makes the ZX RR so hard to ride? All the GP bikes have computers controlling and recording every aspect. Why is the Kawasaki so different from the other bikes? All the teams have expert enginers that analyse and determine the course of action. Do they need new engineers in the team, Rossi has good engineer suport would this make the differents for Hopkins and Ant or is a combination of inexperiance, poor preforming bike and a lack of support from Kawasaki?

[Big Al Glynn]

Racing has to be fun, and I assume he is not having fun at the moment running last. We all know Westy has the talent, but its time to get on with it. In MotoGP everything has to be right, if it doesnt work out by the end of the year lets seem him back in world Supersport where we know he can be a world champion, cause he IS a world class rider.
It looks like Hopkins isnt exactly over the moon either with Kawasaki, he's had a terrible year by his standards. When you see James Toseland and Colin Edwards in a satellite Yamaha team blowing these guys away you have to ask questions about the machine, its not right. Then again you would say the Ducati is a great bike but only in the hands of Casey Stoner so its difficult to know what the hell is going on.
I suppose you would have to thank the Doctor for turning the Yamaha into a great bike all round if everyone else riding it is fast, can someone do the same and tame the mighty Kawasaki MotoGP monster?

[hoffy]

The Kaw is a screamer engine..the others a big-bang. Most riders *all* say the big-bang's are easier to ride..