MotoGP rider Anthony West announced today his withdrawal from racing for the 2012 season, and likely his retirement from racing altogether. The Australian rider has had an up and down career, with two seasons in the premier class, along with the occasional forays and the 2009 season in World Supersport racing.
His best season, the 2003 250cc championship, saw West place seventh overall, scoring a single win and four total podium finishes during his run. Ant West spent the past two seasons riding in the Moto2 Championship for MZ-RE Honda, and was about to return to the premier class with the Speed Master team on a Aprilia CRT bike, but now says he won’t be able to compete because of a lack of personal sponsorship..
West wrote on his Facebook page, “I (ANTHONY WEST) will not race in moto gp this year or any other race because I can not find sponsorship to pay the SPEED MASTER team,” adding, “Because all teams are asking for money from the riders only the rich can race in motogp / moto2 / moto3.” He continued to explain that he “can not even afford to ride a year for free,” as he has not yet been paid for last season’s effort with MZ.
In a sad state of affairs, West also said, “I had my car mx bike and my house for sale trying to keep the ride and even gave the house as a guarantee if I did not find the money but was not enough.” The Australian concluded, “I will most likely not race any more and will retune [sic] back to australia to find a normal job.”
Source: Anthony West (Facebook); Photo: Anthony West (Facebook)
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