West to take to the grid for Round 2 of the ASBK

With this weekend shaping up to be another action packed round of the 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli (ASBK), Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team have added to the pool of talented riders, with 2016 WSBK wildcard Ant West confirmed to fill in for injured Jamie Stauffer this weekend.

After an outstanding performance in the WSBK Supersport category at Phillip Island, where West finished on the podium in front of an international audience, the Aussie star will line up on the ASBK Superbike grid for the first time since 1998 this weekend, aboard Stauffer’s CBR1000RRSP.

West, today shared his enthusiasm in getting the late call up, and says he’s excited to be lining up against Australia’s best with the Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team this weekend.

“I haven’t raced ASBK since 1998, so it’s going to be exciting to get back to an Australian race again this weekend,” he said.

“After my performance at Phillip Island I actually had another ASBK team approach me, however that didn’t work out, and then yesterday afternoon I got the call from Honda offering me the opportunity to race at round two, so I thought why not.

“I haven’t even had the opportunity to jump on the bike yet – I know that a lot of the teams have tested at Wakefield, and these guys have a lot of experience at the venue but I’m hoping I can just jump on and go fast.

“The Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team has a competitive bike, and given that I have had no time with the team, that’s one of the main reasons I said yes to the opportunity – It does give you confidence knowing you’re stepping on to a strong team.”

Crankt Protein Honda’s Team Manager Paul Free, shared that it’s exciting to have West on board for Round 2 of the ASBK after an outstanding performance at Phillip Island.

“As many people will now know, Jamie crashed whilst preparing for round two of the ASBK, and as a result has fractured his T12 vertebrae which means racing this weekend was just not possible,” he said.

“Ant West put in an outstanding performance at Phillip Island in the WSBK Supersport category, and once we heard he was available this weekend, we thought he would be a good fit for round 2.

“With no time to test with Ant, we are just going to do the best we can to get him comfortable on the bike during practice tomorrow, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do on the Crankt Protein Honda CBR1000RRSP.”

Round 2 of the 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli, will be held at Wakefield Park Raceway from March 25-27.

For more information on the ASBK, head to www.asbk.com.au

Image – Russell Colvin