West returns to winning ways after more than a decade

Anthony West took his first Grand Prix victory for more than a decade on Saturday, taking advantage of the rain at the Iveco Daily TT Assen to make the most of his wet riding skills to win again at the Dutch track.

Indeed Assen was the scene of his only previous World Championship win, in 2003. The last time West stood on the top step of the podium he had also triumphed in a wet race in the intermediate class, finishing three seconds ahead of Italian Franco Battaini and 10 seconds in front of Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli.

On that occasion West had started from ninth on the grid so his 2014 victory was therefore arguably even more impressive, coming from 23^rd on the Assen starting grid to register the win for the QMMF Racing Team – beating Maverick Viñales and Mika Kallio to the finish line.

Celebrating his second Dutch triumph, at his 211^th Grand Prix, West commented, “It’s been a long time with a lot of hard years in between from my last win until now. I’ve been close a few times but never I quite made it. I’m really happy to be back in the front. It’s a good feeling, but it’s strange to be on the same track after eleven years. It’s been a hard ride.”

The Australian continued, “It’s a good confidence boost to me because I’ve been struggling in the last few races. I’ve been sort of a bit down myself. Now I’m really happy. I’m just going to enjoy this one. Conditions were really tricky. I seem to be good in the wet and I don’t know why. When I saw the rain I wasn’t happy. But now I’m happy.”