Press Release From Q.M.M.F 30th June
Anthony West happy with new chassis – Elena Rosell keeps learning and improving
QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West rode to 21st place on the first day of practice for the Assen Grand Prix and is confident to go even quicker in qualifying on Friday. A long-awaited new chassis with a higher engine position from manufacturer Moriwaki made all the difference to the handling of his Moto2 prototype, whereas a new exhaust system gave a welcome boost to acceleration and speed of his bike.
Team-mate Elena Rosell battles with the after-effects of a cold, but still managed to improve her lap times significantly from the first to the second practice session at Assen.
Anthony West – 21st in 1.40,084
“We have an all-new frame with big changes. The centre of gravity and the engine position are in a completely different place and the bike felt good from the first moment that I went on the track this morning. We improved this afternoon and even though my best lap time was not that much stronger, my consistency was much better and I had the right feeling for the bike. All in all I can say that the new Moriwaki chassis is an improvement and because its new, we just have to find the right set-up for it. We are heading the right direction, there are just a few small things that are still slowing us at the moment. We are still down on top-speed a little bit, but we have a new exhaust and when I compare ourselves with the other bikes, we have improved from the last race at Silverstone. I now can stay in the slipstream of other riders. I still can’t pass them, but I can stay with them, which helps a lot. More speed and a better chassis – that’s quite an achievement for this first day here at Assen and makes me confident for tomorrow!”
Elena Rosell – 33rd in 1.43,360
“I had a cold and was congested since the last race at Silverstone, and with the temperature changes of today, I felt quite exhausted. Especially in the afternoon, when I tried to go faster, I struggled with my coordination and everything that I was doing on the bike felt slow. But even though I felt this way, we still managed to improve our lap times considerably from this morning, which is good. After practice, Anthony and I had a long chat and we discussed ways to improve further, so I am quite confident and it will be interesting to see what we can achieve tomorrow. He went a bit better after the changes on his bike, whereas I will continue to work with what we have. Anthony has a lot of experience, so it’s definitely the right strategy that he tries new things and confirms improvements, whereas I try to keep learning and improving with what I’ve got since the beginning of this year!”
