Brno, Czech Republic: Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Racing team rider Anthony West finished in 17th place at the Grand Prix of Brno yesterday.
The 32-year-old Australian started from 24th spot on the grid and tried to gain positions straight away, only to find that he was down on engine speed in comparison to the other riders.
For most of the race, West fought a tough battle in which he gained some positions in the corners, only to lose them again on the straights.
In the last seven laps, when tyre wear also started to play a role, West’s riding skills finally allowed him to make up some positions and to get close to the point rankings.
West said: “We managed to improve our front end problems a little bit. We made some changes in the warm-up session and the feel for the front was better, even though it still wasn’t good enough. But my main problem today was not the chassis, it was in fact the engine. I am really disappointed, because I seem to always have the slowest engine. Even when I would open the throttle earlier than everybody else, the other riders were still pulling away from me and I couldn’t even stay in the slipstream to try and pass them again.”
Team-mate Rafid Topan Sucipto enjoyed his race and accomplished his goal of learning as much as he possibly could on the fast and sweeping Brno circuit. Taking advantage from several incidents, the teenager from Jakarta finished proudly in 26th place. THE PENINSULA
