Westy scorched up from 17th place to fifth in only four laps. Well, he binned it on the seventh - but not before he'd got his team a lot of TV coverage. And then he got back on to finish 11th. So he made the bosses happy on the first day in the office. If he can repeat the trick on dry tracks he could score himself a permanent role in
MotoGP next season.
4.50pm - Linfoot, 18, Stars in Blazing 250cc Ride
Dan Linfoot's ride into ninth place in the 250cc race on the Team Sicilia Aprilia was one of the outstanding rides in a day of heroic performances at
Donington Park.
The 18-year-old from Yorkshire only climbed on the bike for the first time in practice on Friday, and qualified in a lowly 21st place in the 26-bike field. But he managed to keep his head in a race that saw even the world champion,
Jorge Lorenzo, plunge off the sodden track.
"I only just managed to stay upright, and I had a few scares," he admitted later. "I just said to myself that I would stay on it and try and get some points.
"My first two or three laps were really aggressive. I passed seven or eight riders, and got into my rhythm, and then I managed to pick off some more."
Aggressive, in that downpour?
"Not like throwing it around, but just passing riders where I could," he explained. "I was still riding as smoothly as possible and trying to keep the bike upright."
Linfoot scored his first grand prix start of the year after his manager secured him the bike previously ridden by the Australian
Anthony West, who has now been recruited to Kawasaki's MotoGP squad.
"It's the LE model, one of last year's factory bikes, so it's really good," Linfoot enthused. "IRTA and Dorna got involved and helped to make this possible."
Now Linfoot will complete the rest of the season with this top Italian team. The target?
"It would be nice to keep scoring points on a regular basis," he said. "I have to keep improving. I'd like to be knocking on the door of the top ten by the end of the year."
10.20am - Westy, the World's Behind You!
I told you yesterday to get your bets on rain-dancer Anthony West for this race if it continued to rain, and after the 25-year-old Aussie dominated this morning's warm-up splash-fest here at Donington Park, the advice holds true.
