2006 Australian Superbike Championship (YMF Loan) - Round Four - Queensland Raceway

Anthony West Day 2 Report

Australian privateer Ant West today produced his second-best qualifying performance in this year’s 250cc motorcycle world championship and will start seventh on the grid in tomorrow’s German Grand Prix.

West, riding a non-factory Kiefer-BOS Racing Aprilia, clocked the seventh fastest qualifying time of 1-minute 25.554-seconds. He set the time on his 25th and last lap of today’s second and final qualifying session on the 3.6km Sachsenring circuit in warm conditions.

The 24-year-old qualified one position ahead of world championship leader Andrea Dovizioso of Italy on a works Humangest Racing Honda, and was also quicker than Repsol Honda team-mates Shuhei Aoyama of Japan and Colombian Martin Cardenas, and San Marino’s Manuel Poggiali on a factory Red Bull KTM.

West’s qualifying result was his best since he started sixth in the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in March. Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo won pole position at the Sachsenring with a lap time of 1-minute 25.073-seconds on a Fortuna Aprilia.

In the two practice sessions and two qualifying sessions held yesterday and today, West rode a total of 105 laps. He was eighth fastest in the opening qualifying session yesterday with a lap time of 1-minute 25.868-seconds.

West goes into tomorrow’s race holding 10th position in this year’s world championship after nine of the 16 rounds. His best past results in 250cc grand prix races at the Sachsenring were sixth in 1999 on a TSR Honda, and in 2003 as a privateer on an Aprilia.

ANT WEST QUOTES: "This track is mainly corners leading into corners and the straights are short, so I’m more competitive against the factory bikes. They can’t use their acceleration advantage as much, apart from the last few corners going up the hill. We had a problem with the rear brake yesterday, but today the bike ran really well. Our team also did a test day here a few weeks ago and that helped us get a good bike set-up. We haven’t had to make many changes to the gearbox or suspension. Yesterday was overcast, but today was much hotter and we tried different tyres to suit the conditions. The 250 race is first tomorrow so it won’t be as hot – we might go for a softer tyre. I’m less than half-a-second off pole, so the aim for the race is to make a good start and try and stay as close as I can to the bikes at the front. If I can stay with them maybe I can battle for the podium. My lap times in qualifying have been more consistent than a couple of bikes starting ahead of me.”