Anthony West upbeat after three tough days at the Island

Anthony West brought to a close the Kawasaki Racing Team's three-day test at Phillip Island this afternoon with a final race simulation run aboard his Ninja ZX-RR. With perfect weather descending on the Phillip Island circuit after yesterday's rain, the 26-year-old Australian managed to work his way through a test schedule made more intensive by the absence of his injured teammate.
After completing more than 100 laps during the course of the day West looked visibly tired when he returned to the Kawasaki pit box for the final time. Declaring himself reasonably happy with what he and his crew have achieved over the past three days at his home circuit, West admitted that he was disappointed that this wasn't reflected in his lap times. The past two weeks in Malaysian and Australia have been a steep learning curve for the former 250cc and Supersport pilot. Riding a MotoGP machine at 100 percent for six hours a day over three days is both physically and mentally demanding of any rider.

Having undergone surgery on an old wrist injury in December, West has been limited in the training he's been able to complete ahead of pre-season testing, with the result that the physical demands have taken their toll on the Australian. He's also had to adapt to the mental pressure of testing, with literally hundreds of different component, tyre and setting combinations to evaluate, and their effectiveness to communicate to Kawasaki's technical staff. It's been a tough challenge, but one that West has risen to with his usual unflappable style.

West's Kawasaki teammate, John Hopkins, also made a brief appearance at the Phillip Island circuit today, before heading back to America for treatment on the abductor muscle he damaged yesterday. The 24-year-old Anglo-American will have an MRI scan in San Francisco on Monday, after which Doctor Arthur Ting will decide on the best method of treatment to get Hopkins back on the bike in the shortest time possible. With his teammate on his way home, Anthony West will fly from Australia directly to Japan, where he will take part in a wind tunnel test with Kawasaki's race engineers.

#13: 106 Laps - 1'31.957
"These last two weeks have been a tough introduction to pre-season testing for me. After the wrist operation in December, I knew I wasn't going to have the training time that I probably needed, but I was surprised at just how physically demanding I've found these two tests. And when you start to tire on the bike, it makes concentrating on the evaluation process with whatever component, setting or tyre you're testing all the more difficult. So yes, it's been hard, but it's also been really productive. We've spent a lot of time working on identifying a good base set-up on the bike, and we've definitely made some progress there, but there's still more work to do before the start of the season. Obviously, I'm disappointed that my lap times weren't what I was Anthony West - 2008 Phillip Island MotoGP testaiming for here in Phillip Island, but I'm sure they would have been better if I'd come here closer to full fitness. I just need to make sure I'm better prepared for the Jerez test, where I'll be aiming to get a lot closer to the top of the timesheet. If achieving this means moving into the local gym for the next two weeks then that's exactly what I'll do!"

Kawasaki Competition Manager
"I think Anthony's had a bit of a wake up call over the past two weeks. He did a good job coming into the team midway through last season and scoring points on a bike he'd never ridden before, but now he's learning just how much work goes into developing a factory MotoGP bike like the Ninja ZX-RR ahead of the first race. He's been hampered by the wrist operation he had in December, but I think even he'd admit that he underestimated just how hard testing was going to be physically. Now we need to look at his training program over the coming weeks, to ensure he's at least approaching full fitness for the Jerez and Qatar tests. Hopefully we'll also have John back for Jerez, but we'll know more when he's had the chance to consult with his doctor in San Francisco on Monday. The injury is not serious, but it's one that could cause ongoing problems if it isn't treated properly now."

Hopkins flies home early after highside
Kawasaki's John Hopkins will head home to California from Australia earlier than expected, after crashing heavily during this morning's rain affected test at Phillip Island. The 24-year-old Anglo-American was one of the few riders to brave the wet conditions early on, taking the opportunity to familiarise himself with the characteristics of Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR on full wet tyres for the first time. Hopkins looked to have got the measure of the conditions as his lap times tumbled with every lap, but then disaster struck as he tried to up the pace even further. Exiting the ultra-fast turn one, the Kawasaki pilot got on the gas fractionally too hard and was catapulted over the handlebars by a vicious highside.

After returning to the pits under his own steam, Hopkins suffered pain in his hip and groin once his leathers were removed. At this West interviewed - 2008 Phillip Island MotoGP testpoint the decision was made to transport him to a medical facility in Melbourne for precautionary x-rays and an ultrasound scan, which confirmed that he'd torn the abductor muscle on the left side of his groin. Hopkins will now return to the United States, where he will receive laser treatment under the direction of the world renowned Doctor Ting. Untreated the injury would take four to five weeks to heal fully, but Hopkins is confident that, with the assistance of Doctor Ting, he will be back on the bike for the IRTA test in Jerez in just two weeks time.

#21: 15th - 27 Laps - 1'42.130
"My lap times had been coming down by a second a lap, but then I got caught out at turn one while pushing for a faster time. I got on the gas a little too early on the exit, lost the rear and got flicked over the highside when the bike came round on me. I must have been horizontal in the air, because I landed flat on my side. It was a hard landing and it felt painful straight away. I went to hospital in Melbourne, where the doctors confirmed that I'd torn around 50 percent of the abductor muscle from the bone. It's not a serious injury, but it is quite painful at the moment. I'm determined to be back on the Kawasaki for the IRTA Jerez test, so I'm going to head home to see Doctor Ting and to get treatment on the injury as soon as possible."

Kawasaki Competition Manager
"You don't crash at Phillip Island's turn one and walk away unscathed, even in the wet. It was obvious that John was in some pain and, while the initial examination by the circuit doctor indicated he hadn't broken any bones, we decided as a precaution to send him to a private clinic in Melbourne for a further examination. Thankfully, the x-ray and ultrasound examinations confirmed the initial assessment, but a torn abductor muscle is still a fairly debilitating injury for a racer. But John's a tough cookie, and I'm sure that with Doctor Ting's help, he'll be back on the bike at the IRTA Jerez test in February. Anthony didn't allow himself to be distracted by what was happening on the other side of the pit box today, and he did a good job shouldering the responsibility for tyre testing with Bridgestone in John's absence."
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