Difficult race to end tough season for Kawasaki

The views from Kawasaki´s John Hopkins and Anthony West after a hard season for both riders concluded at the Gran Premio Parts Europe de la Comunitat Valenciana.

John Hopkins - fourteenth

`After getting such a good start to the race it became obvious we were going to be fighting a losing battle, because I soon realised I couldn´t get the bike turned well enough. This also added to the wear on the rear tyre, and the season-long traction issues we´ve suffered were evident again, so after the first few laps I had to fight for every position I could. We knew it was going to be a tough one because, after all of the rain this weekend we´ve had very little dry set-up time, but I was really hoping for a top ten finish. I´m also incredibly disappointed as my crew chief, Fiorenzo Fanali, is retiring after this race and I really wanted to get one final good result for him. The 2009 season starts with testing tomorrow and we have to start finding solutions to our problems so we can be competitive right from the word go next year.´

Anthony West - seventeenth

`What a frustrating end to a frustrating season. I wanted to finish my last race with Kawasaki as close to the top ten as I could, but a questionable tyre choice put paid to that today. Rear grip dropped off sharply within a few laps, and it was like riding dirt track for the rest of the race with the bike sideways everywhere. This season didn´t turn out as I was expecting, and while I´m sure people are pointing the finger at me for this, I leave here knowing that I did my best and that I couldn´t do any more. I knew I´d finish the season close to my teammate in the championship standings, what I didn´t expect was for us both to be so close to the bottom of the points table. I´d like to thank Kawasaki for giving me this chance in the premier class; it hasn´t been the easiest time, but the experience will definitely stand me in good stead as I move onto pastures new in 2009.´