Vacation leaves Kawasaki pair refreshed for Malaysia

They didn´t manage to crack the top ten at Phillip Island, but the results Down Under could not dissuade Kawasaki´s Anthony West and John Hopkins from staying on in Australia to rest up ahead of the Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The pair are reserved in their expectations for the race, but are targeting a positive end to a testing 2008 season.

`The last week has been great because I went home straight after the race in Phillip Island and spent some time with the family,´says West. `I´ve hardly been in Australia on the Gold Coast this year, as most of the races are in Europe, so it´s certainly been nice to spend some time there in the good weather. I qualified well in Malaysia last year, although it´s not a circuit I have specific feelings about either way.´

After a great qualifying run, West´s 2007 race in Sepang took a disastrous turn after the sighting lap, although the experience still leaves him hopeful of what might happen this year.

`I made a stupid mistake in the race when I lined up on the wrong grid position, although we had been well on the pace all weekend and it could have possibly been the best result of the year for me. It would be great if I could repeat the pace I had in qualifying last season, but I feel a little unsure of what we can realistically achieve, as it's been tough going in the last few races. Hopefully the Malaysian heat will work to our advantage and we can put ourselves back in the top ten.´

Hopkins was also exploring Australia after the most recent round, albeit with training for Malaysia still the priority.

`I´ve had a really good vacation since Phillip Island as (wife)Ashleigh and I stayed on to visit Sydney before driving up the Gold Coast. I´ve always wanted to see a bit more of Australia, and we've done the whole tourist thing by snorkeling and spending some time on the beach,´ says Hopkins.

`I´ve also continued to train really hard, and it would be great if we can gain some strong results aboard the Kawasaki in the final two rounds. I´m now 100% focused on Malaysia, especially as it´s a track I enjoy. We had a positive test there in January before I got injured, and I´m confident that we´ve made some big steps forward since then. I think we can go there and be quite competitive, but it will also be nice to race in some warmer weather.´