BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West is pleased with the changes made to his bike as he goes head long into the new season’s first Moto2 race at Losail International Circuit this Sunday.
West, who welcomed Julian Simon as his new riding partner at the end of last season, said he is in a better position to improve his lap times compared to stats recorded last year.
“I think we are moving in the right direction. There’s a lot of things I requested last year that didn’t happen,” West said in an interview yesterday.
“I think from where the bike was last year to where it is now, it will be easier to do better lap-times,” the 33--year-old former MotoGP rider added.
“My lap-times are more consistent then they were last year after we made the changes to the bike. I could only do one or two laps fast as it was difficult to manage that bike.
“It was easy to lose traction then. But now it is like the other bikes as in you can make mistakes and still be fast.
“Each lap is faster so I think qualifying will be better also,” the Australian added.
Excerpts from a candid chat ahead of this week’s Grand Prix of Qatar.
Question: What are your realistic goals in the new season?
Answer: I am happy to continue with QMMF. Everybody’s been really good in Qatar; my mechanics and my team members. There’s a lot of good people. I am just happy to continue. I just hope we can have better and consistent results. Last year we started quite good but then we had some problems during testing with the bike. None of those problems got resolved so it’s got more difficult as the year went on. Everybody is so strong in the championship and you need to be strong and 100 percent. That wasn’t the case last year. We are just trying to improve that with the bike. We made some changes after the last Grand Prix. We changed suspension brands. From the first moment when we put in the new suspensions, we were going faster than before. So we are looking good for the new season. I am quite confident that it will make us consistently faster.
Question: Do you feel you are in a better position to be consistent than you were at the start of 2014?
Answer: Yes, preparation-wise. I think we are moving in the right direction. There’s a lot of things I requested last year that didn’t happen but with Simon - my new team-mate here - he came from a different bike last year, a Kalex. He’s come to the team. It has helped me a lot. The things I was complaining about are gone as he is confirmed for the new season. So we have made changes to the bike. It’s not the team but the manufacturer which didn’t listen to me last year so much. Now that there’s Simon, they are listening to me a bit more (smiles). We are going to get some new parts so it will all help us getting more speed consistently in each race track. Hopefully it should work better at all circuits.
Question: Last year you said you wanted to replicate your form in qualifying sessions on race-day also. Is that the plan for 2015 also?
Answer: I think if we get the changes to the bike the way I want, then everything goes well. I think from where the bike was last year to where it is now, it will be easier to do better lap-times. My lap-times are more consistent then they were last year after we made the changes to the bike. I could only do one or two laps fast as it was difficult to manage that bike. It was easy to lose traction then. But now it is like the other bikes as in you can make mistakes and still be fast. Each lap is faster so I think qualifying will be better also.
Question: Do you see podium finishes along the way in 2015?
Answer: I hope so. As long as the changes me and Simon are requesting are made then I am sure we can be on the podium. If these changes don’t happen, then it is going to be tough for us. So we are still waiting to see what happens in the first race.
Question: Do you think lack of experience of your team-mate last year pulled you down?
Answer: It made it harder in terms that he wasn’t at the same level as me. So that made it harder. Kalex, for example, had 15 other riders to take information from. From gearing to suspension settings and there were many other things to look at. After one session at a race track, there were inputs from me and very little inputs from my team-mate. And remember he had a completely different riding style. He wasn’t on the pace. So I had to set the bike 100 percent on my own. So I didn’t have the chance to get the information from other riders because everyone tries different things when they exit on to the race track. You lose that information so we had to do everything ourselves last year. We had to a fight a lot. We had to put in a lot more to get the bike settings in. Whereas it would be easier for other riders (last year).
Question: Would you be giving motocross a thought in future?
Answer: Motocross was something that I wanted to do when I first got into bike racing when I was about 11 or 12. But my dad thought it was too dangerous and I didn’t do it. Then I went road racing which is just as dangerous but I would definitely like to give it a good go. I definitely need six months to a year’s training to be up with those fast (motocross) guys. It is a different sport. It’s not the same as road racing at all.
Question: It’s a very spectacular sport, wouldn’t you say?
Answer: Oh yes! For me I watch road racing and I am like ‘it is fast and it is pretty crazy’ when you see it. For me, I enjoy motocross a lot more. I think that way because I don’t race it so I look at it with enjoyment. I wish I was as fast as them but it needs a lot of training. If I get a chance I would give it a go but it feels quite special on the bike.
THE PENINSULA
