MCNEWS.COM.AU - The ultimate in motorcycle news MotoGP 2005 - Round 7 - Assen
Westy Race Report
June 25th, 2005
 MCNEWS.COM.AU - The ultimate in motorcycle news

An oil leak forced Australian motorcycle racer Ant West out of today's 250cc Dutch Grand Prix motorcycle race at Assen.

West withdrew after completing 12 of the 18 laps in the seventh round of this year's 250cc world championship.

The 23-year-old from Queensland's Gold Coast, who won the 250cc grand prix at Assen in 2003, started today's race from 23rd position on a Wurth BQR Honda. He was 20th after the opening lap and 26th when the oil leak forced him to stop.

West rode the Honda at Assen as preparation for his expected debut on KTM's new factory 250cc machine in the British Grand Prix at Donington Park on July 24. He also competed in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in May on an Aprilia while waiting for the KTM to be race-ready.

The Assen race was won by Argentina's Sebastian Porto on an Aprilia, followed by Spaniard Daniel Pedrosa on a Honda. Pedrosa leads the championship with 143 points ahead of Australia's Casey Stoner, who has 106. Stoner finished sixth at Assen on an Aprilia.

West, who was recruited by KTM in the past of-season, has now made a total of 79 grand prix starts in the 125cc, 250cc, and 500cc categories since 1998. He has finished 62 of those races, and scored world championship points in 59 of them.

ANT WEST QUOTES: "This was always going to be a tough weekend on a privateer bike, but I got some track-time and that's what I need before I start racing the KTM. I made up some places at the start, and I felt I was quicker than a lot of guys through the corners. The main problem was the bike was down on top-end speed and I kept getting passed on the straights. After eight laps oil started spilling onto my foot and it started slipping off the footpegs. I was worried the oil might get on the tyre so I decided it was safer to stop rather than risk crashing. The weather was cooler today, compared to qualifying, and I went with a softer front tyre. This is only my second race of the season and I feel 'rusty' with my riding. The laps I did here will help me once the KTM is ready to race. It was interesting to compare the Honda I rode today with the Aprilia I raced at Le Mans a few weeks ago. The Honda frame feels stable, but it's harder to get the feel you need to push the tyres to the limit."
 

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