Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Anthonv West AtlthOfty West receftfly became the first Aussie ift 25 years to wift a 250cc GP TT at Assen. Two weeks before that, Westy By COLIN YOUNG scored his first GP podium with a hard-fought PHOTOS By GOLD [, GOOSE third place in the Catalunya GP at Barcelona. Y oung Australian rider Anthony West has had a roller-coaster GP career over the past couple of years. After being recognized as a rising star while still a teenager and riding factory Hondas for the Shell Advance team in 1999 and 2000, West's career drifted in 2001 to riding a privateer Honda 500 V-twin and in 2002 his worst nightmare - no GP West's victory at Assen made him the first Australian rider in 25 years to win a 250 GP. the last being fellow Queenslander Gregg Hansford, who rode a factory Kawasaki KR250 to victory in the 1978 Yugoslav Grand Prix at Rijeka. At 21, West is now the youngest-ever Australian racing at all. Now four years after that first Honda 250cc season, "Westy," from Australia's Gold Coast beach playground in Queensland, has scored his first 250cc GP victory in his 39th start - in the Dutch 44 JULY 30. 2003' cue I "" n e vv to win a GP in any class in the history of the World Championship. Previously that honor went to Garry McCoy, who was 22 when he won the Malaysian 125cc GP in 1995. s At Assen you became the first Australian to win a 250cc GP in 25 years after Gregg Hansford in 1978. That's a long record to break. I knew it was long time, but I wasn't sure - I wasn't even born when that happened. I'm proud to be Australian and to win at Assen. I'm also very happy for the Zoppini Abruzzo team who has put money into me this year. Being Australian is very difficult to find sponsors, but hopefully that might change now. I wanted to show everyone that the Barcelona podium wasn't just luck and I could do it again. In 2002 you didn't have a GP ride and sat out the season. How difficult was that, and what has it been like coming back this year on a privateer Aprilia, going back to 250s after doing 500s on Honda V-twin in 200l? Last year I felt really down, and I was ready to give it all up and go and work in McDonalds. I didn't feel like I was going to be able to ever get a GP ride again. I even thought about going to work as a plumber for my dad on the Gold Coast. And then this year my results back in 250s haven't been as good as I would have liked, at least up until the Barcelona GP a couple of weeks ago, and I was pretty disappointed. After Mugello, when I was ninth, I thought there was no way I'm ever going to get any decent results. I was starting to face the fact that perhaps I wasn't a good enough rider. Your father, Tony, and young brother Jon (14 years old) were at Assen for the Dutch TT. What was that like? It was really great because I don't get to see my family that much when I'm in Europe. My dad was the one who really stuck behind me and kept me going when I didn't have a ride - if it wasn't for him I would have given up before now. My dad has always been supportive with good advice. He's always on the phone, and after the Italian GP at Mugello a couple of weeks ago, he gave me some advice that was very firm and direct and that helped me a lot to get on the podium at Barcelona and win at Assen. What did he say to you after Mugello? I can't say exactly what he said, but it was pretty brutal - but it really helped me. I had been complaining a lot about the bike and different things, and basically he just reminded me of how I used to ride, just like a real Aussie and not complain too much, and that's what I did in Barcelona and at Assen. I just rode the wheels off the bike and didn't worry about how it was set up. No doubt then that it was great for your dad to be at the track for your first GP win?

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