關於ZX-RR和Anthony West的訪談

[yukikaze (而我總是在墮落(笑))]

和GSV-R那篇的作者是同一個人，
因為是澳洲的雜誌，
所以訪問的車手是West，
有趣的是這篇的評語和Randy Mamola的意見相當不同，
我應該比較相信Mamola的說法，
可以比較看看。

如果有缺漏或謬誤的地方，請不吝指正<(_ _)>


(原文刊載於Motor Cycle Australian News  Vol.57 No12 2007年12月號)




Never Say Die
永不言敗


For Kawasaki and Ant West, dream becomes reality for the 2008 MotoGP season
對Kawasaki還有Ant West來說，08年的賽季就像美夢成真一樣


Imagine this – you’ve been in the 250cc GP world championship for years on
end trying get that big break, before finally surrendering to go and race in
the Supersport World Championship when you have just $170 in your bank
account. An impressive display of talent lands you on the podium in you first
Supersport outing, before scoring a pair of wins in the following two races.
Next up, the factory Kawasaki MotoGP team comes calling you for you to test
the bike and the rest is history.
想像一下吧 - 你在MotoGP 250cc的級別打滾多年，在你放棄離開轉往Supersport World
Championship時你銀行戶頭裡只剩下170元澳幣（約4800元）。但在Supersport級別的第
一站站上頒獎台並接下來獲得兩勝之後，你展現了令人印象深刻的天分。接著Kawasaki的
工廠車隊來電請你過去測試，一切的瑣事都成為過去…


That is exactly what happened to 26-year-old Queenslander Anthony West
earlier this season and six months later, in the off-season, Westy is now
preparing for his first fell season in 2008 as a factory MotoGP racer.
那是今年年初發生在Anthony West，一個26歲的昆士蘭人身上的真實故事。但六個月後的
賽季休兵期，West現在正在為08年他第一個完整的MotoGP賽季做準備。


Since that dream calling after the grand prix at Barcelona in June, West has
learnt the ropes of MotoGP racing admirably, racing to points-scoring
finishes in all but one of his 11 GP starts this season.
在六月巴塞隆納站那通美妙的電話之後，West以令人激賞的速度學習關於MotoGP的一切。
在他今年的11場比賽當中，他在其中10站取得積分。


“It’s funny how things can turn around so quickly,” he explains. “I was
quitting GP racing and now I’m back here on a factory team. The way I was
going during the season, I thought I wouldn’t be racing anymore, so it was a
big turnaround.”
West解釋道：「事情轉變的如此迅速實在是件很有趣的事情。當我重新回到GP賽場時是待
在一隻廠隊裡！當我離開的時候我還以為我不會再賽車了，這個轉變實在很巨大。」


Another bonus of West’s miraculous career revival was the success of Kawasaki
’s new 800cc ZX-RR MotoGP racer. The improvement over last year has been
spectacular, with Randy de Puniet putting it on podium with second place last
year in Japan and having countless top qualifying performance.
West神奇復出的另一個主要原因則是Kawasaki新的800cc ZX-RR。去年年底在日本站
Puniet獲得第二名的成績，還有許多次排位賽亮眼的表現都說明車隊的進步是顯著的。


The team’s choice to switch to Bridgestone tyres in 2004 finally paid major
dividends, with the Japanese brand proving to be the tyre of choice in 2007.
All of these scenarios played right into the hands of West, who grabbed the
opportunity, stepped up to the plate and made the most of it.
Kawasaki在04年改換到Bridgestone陣營的決定，在今年Ｂ牌輪胎大放異彩後終於開花結
果。這些情節都來到West手裡，他緊抓住機會，登上舞台並開始發光發熱。


Just one day after the final race of the year at Valencia, Spain, I find
myself suited up sitting in West’s pit-box seat waiting to get a taste of
the green meanie. Everything inside the Kawasaki box is immaculate, as are
the bikes, with not one decal out of place or a spec of dirt to be seen.
在今年西班牙Valencia站後的一天，我發現自己坐在West的pit區裡等著測試這台綠色機
器。在Kawasaki工作區裡每一件事情都是潔淨無垢的，就像他們車子上整整齊齊地的印花
貼紙一樣，一點灰塵也沒有。


I imagine West had the same anxious feeling I have when he was called in to
replace Oliver Jacque at the British Grand Prix, although the difference is
that Ant was up against the best in the world. I’m just here for a joy ride.
我猜當West在英國站被叫上來頂替Oliver Jacque的時候，大概跟我現在一樣焦慮不安吧
：雖然說他的目標是對抗世界上最好的車手，而我只是騎身體健康的…


The Kawasaki is the first bike I’m scheduled to ride during the two days of
testing, meaning this is my first ever MotoGP experience. I block everything
out. There are literally hundreds of people outsides the garage, before I
know it, I’m called out to get on for my five-lap stint.
Kawasaki的車是我這兩天測試計畫中第一台要騎的車，意味著這是我對MotoGP賽車的初體
驗，我把每件事情都圈出來。但就在我明白車庫外面至少有上百個人之前，我就被叫出去
進行我五圈的測試。


As the bike fires into life I realize there is no backing out mow. What I
thought would be one of the greatest days of my life has turned into me being
a nervous wreck. But that all changes as I ease the clutch out and fire out
of the pit box. Most of my nervous disappear after I leave without stalling
and it is an amazing feeling to be riding out of the pits on one of the best
bikes in the MotoGP field. The Kawasaki is certainly the most improved for
2007.
當車子發動之後我就察覺到已經沒有退路了，本來應該是我生命中最棒的一個時刻現在卻
讓我成了緊張的神經衰弱者。但當我鬆開離合器並駛離pit區之後，我的緊張隨著拘束煙
消雲散，那種騎在MotoGP界領域中最佳戰車的感覺實在是非常令人驚豔，Kawasaki的戰車
可以說是07年的車種中改良最成功的。


Kawasaki’s ZX-RR is visually quite narrow and small looking and that is
still the case when aboard it. Compared with the Ducati or even the Suzuki,
West’s bike is ultra-slim in the mid-section.
Kawasaki的ZX-RR看起來就是又窄又小台，跨坐時也是，跟Ducati甚至是Suzuki比起來，
West的車在車身中段可以說非常苗條。


When in the riding position, the seat pushes me forward toward the
headlebars, which are set wide and have a very straight feel to them. Westy’
s lever set-up feels perfect for me and they are where I would have them if
the bike were mine, unlike Chris Vermeulen’s awkwardly low setting on his
Suzuki.
在騎乘位置方面，座椅把我往前推往龍頭的部分，龍頭上的設置很寬敞。不像Vermeulen
那台Suzuki上要命的設定，West的拉桿設定對我來說恰到好處，也就是說如果這台車是我
的，那設定就是我所想要的。


The fully-digital 2D dash on the Kawasaki is extremely busy, with everything
you could imagine displayed and more. The rev counter doesn’t even register
until 8,000rpm and, once at speed, the rev limit is around 18,300rpm – just
after the shift lights flash at 17,800rpm.
Kawasaki的全數位2D儀表以非常忙碌的方式顯示每一個你能想像、還有想像不到的訊息。
在8000轉以前轉速表並不會作動，但很快地在17800轉換檔指示燈亮之後，轉速表就來到
轉速極值 - 18300轉。


West doesn’t really read the dash when he is riding and prefers to use the
engine’s sound, which is blazingly loud, and his personal feel. He does use
the large gear-shift indicator, especially on new tracks.
當West在騎車的時候他不會真的去讀儀表上的資訊，他會使用引擎震耳欲聾的聲響，還有
他個人的感覺來判斷。他會使用車上大型的檔位指示器，特別是在新的賽道上。


Kawasaki’s engine has impressed during 2007, outshining big guns Honda and
Yamaha from the beginning and it is often compared with the Suzuki as one of
the surprise packages of the year.
Kawasaki 2007年的的引擎給人深刻的印象，一開始就比大魔王Honda和Yamaha更引人矚目
。它也常被人和Suzuki相提並論，認為是今年最令人驚豔的引擎之一。


I find the ZX-RR surprisingly friendly for a MotoGP bike, with the power
proving to be tame, yet still unbelievably fast. The acceleration of the
engine comes on hard from the bottom of the rev range and it still feels like
it’s pulling hard at the maximum revs.
我發現作為一台MotoGP的賽車，ZX-RR可以說出奇地友善，動力輸出非常的馴服，雖然還
是難以相信的快啦。從低轉速區開始到最高轉速區，整顆引擎的表現可以說非常的穩定。


My initial impression of a MotoGP bike is that it feels so small and
comfortable (for my 168cm height) with the power overriding the weight
massively. The connection between the throttle and the rear tyre isn’t the
problem for me on the Kawasaki like it was on the Yamaha (see last issue), it
is more the front wheel coming off the ground when I open the gas from the
low revs.
對我來說，MotoGP賽車的第一印象是小而舒適（以我168的身高來說），但動力卻大大的
凌駕在車重之上。和Yamaha相比，Kawasaki的油門和後輪之間的傳輸對我來說比較不是問
題。而當我從低轉速灌油門的時候，前輪浮舉的傾向比較明顯。


“The horsepower is the biggest thing when adapting to a MotoGP bike.” West
tells me after my session when we are back in the pit box. “I had the same
reaction as what you had – just like, whoa [laughs]. There is heaps of power
and it makes them just so much fun to ride.”
在我回到pit區之後，West對我說：「適應MotoGP賽車的時候，馬力是最關鍵的一件事。
我當時的反應和你一樣，就像…哇靠(笑)！馬力的峰值讓騎乘這件事變得非常有意思。」


While I can’t imagine trying to ride the Kawasaki – or any MotoGP bike for
that matter – at 10/10ths, Westy explains to me that it kind of gets easy
once you adapt to the power, before it becomes difficult again as you try to
push hard. “Now that I have ridden it more, it starts to feel a little
easier to ride and then, when you want to go fast, it gets more difficult.
There is so much sliding and wheelying and everything going on that it is
very hard to go fast.” He explains.
我沒有辦法想像我騎在ZX-RR，或是其他任何MotoGP賽車上完成十圈賽事的樣子。West跟
我說當我習慣出力之後整件事似乎會變得簡單一點，但如果要再騎得凶一點，那麼事情就
會再次的困難起來。他說：「我現在騎乘的經驗已經相當多了，騎起來感覺好像比較輕鬆
一點。但如果我要再多催一點速度，整個感覺就會非常困難。整台車開始有許多側滑和孤
輪的傾向，所有的事情加在一起就會讓騎快變得很困難。」


“It comes easy at first and you think this is easy with the traction control
and everything but, when you want to go fast, it is totally different
altogether. You get into the coner and have to open the gas up fast and it
wants to slide before you even hit the apex.”
「在軌跡控制系統的幫助下，一開始似乎都很簡單，但當你加快速度的時候，全部的事情
都變了樣。你衝進彎道並快速的灌下油門，但在你抵達彎道的apex點之前，車子卻開始側
滑。」


West says he really expects the major confidence improvements to come with
more off-season testing. “In the beginning, I was really careful but now I’
m starting to crack it on that bit harder and get more confident,” he
explains.
West說他真的很期待隨著大量季末測試而來的改良。他說：「一開始的時候我小心翼翼，
但現在我可以更拼命地騎它，並且更有信心。」


The electronics on the Kawasaki are probably the most noticeable of any bike
as it splutters and coughs at times, meaning the engine is controlling itself
on both corner entrance and exit. Powering off the corners is a real buzz as
the engine revs so quickly that you’re constantly looking for the next gear,
just like the Ducati. Thankfully, shifting up gears is something the ZX-RR
does exceptionally well.
和其他任何車輛相比，Kawasaki的電子控制系統可以說是最引人注目的，在每個入彎和出
彎的時候，它總是控制著引擎的運作。和Ducati的車一樣，在彎道時引擎的動態變化非常
迅速，你可以專注在下一個要操作的檔位上。好加在，ZX-RR在轉換檔位的控制上實在很
出色。


I get more confidence to open the throttle early in my short stint, trying to
ignore the power and trust the electronics. I never get to that stage, but
West also needs to focus on the electronics to get the most from the bike on
race weekend.
在我短短的測試中，我越來越有自信在提早開啟油門這件事上，我試著忽略車子力道的輸
出並信賴電子儀器的作用。我沒辦法像West一樣好，但至少在比賽的時候，他也得依靠電
子控制系統來好好駕馭ZX-RR。


“There are so many things that you can change with electronics,” he says, “
that sometimes they cut in a little too much. Sometimes it cuts in and doesn’
t drive forward, slowing the bike down and doesn’t drive.”
他說：「透過電子控制系統你可以改變很多設定，有時候它可能會稍稍過了點頭；而有時
候設定錯了，它還會讓車子根本無法動彈。」


Back-shifting into the corners is made easy on the Kawasaki – you can simply
pull off the brakes and shift it back gears and the bike will not get any
rear-wheel hop or anything as it’s all controlled electronically.
對於ZX-RR來說，進彎時降低檔位是非常簡單的事情，只需要拉起煞車、把檔位降低，你
的後輪不會亂跳，車子也沒有什麼怪癖 – 電子控制儀器把所有的問題都處理得很好。


“When you ride a normal streetbike, you have a rev it when you downshift a
little bit but, with MotoGP bikes, you can just shift it back like a
two-stroke with no engine hop or anything,” says West. “ It really allows
you to focus on braking and the corner.”
West說：「當你騎的是一輛街道用車時，你降檔時必須補點油門。但在MotoGP賽車上，就
像騎二行程車輛一般直接退檔就可以了，你可以專注在煞車和過彎這檔子事上。」


The chassis is my favorite part of the Kawasaki and it is actually my
favorite of all the grand prix bikes. The ergonomics of the Ninja make me
feel right at home and the build quality is astonishing.
車架是整台車我最喜歡的部分，和其他車相比也是最令我喜愛的一台。這台忍者的人體工
學正和我的胃口，就像在家一樣，打造的品質也是好到沒話說。


Braking is kind of weird for my first bike of the test because I have never
used carbon front brake discs before, but the 314mm twin-disc brembo set-up
stops me without any trouble at any time. As long as the heat in them, they
work. They don’t feel quite as touchy as some, though, with the Honda being
the worst offender.
一開始測試的時候，因為我從來沒用過碳纖維碟盤，所以煞車用起來挺彆扭的。但這組
Brembo的314mm雙前碟組合可以在任何場合下讓我順利煞停，就算是在高溫狀態下也很OK
。不像Honda車上的組合，它們使用起來還滿容易的。


“The carbon brakes are a bit strange, especially when they are cold and don’
t work. But when they do work then you can almost put yourself over the ‘bars
” Westy says. “The best point is that they don’t fade at all during the
races, unlike steel ones.”
West說：「碳纖維組合的煞車滿奇特的，特別在冷卻的時候幾乎沒反應，但當它們開始運
作的時候你可以完全的放心，最棒的是在賽事過程中不會像鋼製碟盤一樣有衰退的問題。
」


I don’t get the chance to ride the Kawasaki fast enough to really experience
its handling qualities, but the Ohlins suspension proves compliant and very
forgiving at such a relatively slow pace.
我沒有機會用力操駕ZX-RR來深度體驗他的操控品質，但在我相對較慢的騎乘速度下，歐
老師的懸吊倒也證明了它的性能和寬容性。


Corner entry feels a little stiff for me, not as rigid as the Suzuki, but
definitely a bit harder to turn in than the Yamaha, Honda or Ducati. This isn
’t a setting problem with the bike, it’s just that I don’t have the
commitment to throw it on it’s side like it wants to be ridden.
不像Suzuki那麼極端，但和其他三廠相比，在進彎時ZX-RR對我來說還是有點費勁，這跟
車子的設定無關，只是我自己沒有按照它想被操駕的方式去騎它而已。


But at the end of my ride, the Kawasaki has won me over. It is the easiest
MotoGP bike to hop straight on and enjoy and it’s only going to get better
from here. I rate it with the Honda RC212V that I rode in Malaysia as one of
my favourite bike.
但在騎乘的尾聲時，ZX-RR已經完全贏得我的心。和我在馬來西亞時試騎的RC212V（我喜
愛的車種之一）相比，它是台能最簡單享受樂趣的MotoGP賽車。


For West, the Kawasaki has given him a second chance. He has got the bike
and, along with new 2008 teammate John Hopkins, is going to make waves next
year. West is enjoying the ride, pinching himself to see if this dream story
is actually true.
對West來說，Kawasaki給了他第二次的機會，他得到了一台廠車，08年也將和新隊友
John Hopkins一同掀起狂潮。West很享受現在的騎乘，也將徹底磨練自己，來看看現在的
美夢是否是真的。


He appreciates every turn, every gear selected and every race completed on
the Kawasaki MotoGP bike and hopes to find himself on the podium and in the
winner circle sometime soon. “Any other bike, you race it then you get
comfortable with it and that’s just your racebike, but with the MotoGP bike
I really enjoy every minute on it from the out lap to the cool-down lap.”
他很珍惜每一次的過彎、每一次的選擇檔位還有每一場和Kawasaki一起完成的比賽，他也
希望自己能盡早站上頒獎台，在不久的將來擠身勝利者的行列。他說：「在其他賽車上，
只有在騎著它比賽的時候，它才真的是屬於你的賽車。但在MotoGP的戰駒上，從開賽前的
準備到比賽結束後的環場，我分分秒秒都樂在其中。」


West puts it all into context with one last sentence regarding his dream
chance: “They are definitely a lot of fun to ride and to have a bike
spinning the rear tyre at over 200 km/h is pretty amazing.”
「騎著這種車的樂趣實在太多了，特別是在超過時速200公里的情況下，簡直是爽翻天。
」最後West用這樣一句話來為他的美夢作總結。


Amazing indeed.
的確，超爽。







ZX-RR 07年

引擎：

引擎形式：液冷DOHC 16氣動式汽門 直四
排氣量：798cc
點火系統：電子
供油系統：EFI，Magneti MarelliECU，Keihinq平板滑動式油門(flatslide)

變速系統：

形式：六速變速
離合器：乾式多片滑動式離合器
傳動：鍊條

底盤和輪胎：

車架：鋁製雙樑
軸距：1460mm
懸吊：Ohlins
前懸吊：42mm TTX20氮化鈦塗層倒立式液壓前叉-壓縮組尼 回彈阻尼 預載可調形式。
後懸吊：TTX36 單槍-壓縮組尼 回彈阻尼 預載可調形式。
輪框：JB Power Magtan鍛造鎂輪框
前：3.75x16.5   後:6.25x16.5
輪胎：Bridgestone光頭胎
前：125/60R16.5 後：190/65R16.5
煞車系統：Brembo
前：雙314mm 碳纖維前碟 輻射對向四活塞卡鉗
後；200後碟 對向雙活塞卡鉗

車身細節：

重量：超過148 KG(乾燥重量)
油箱容量：21公升

性能：

馬力：超過157kW @18,200 rpm(約213.52hp)
極速：331 km/h (上海站)

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◆ From: 58.172.58.181
推 HaET:推推
→ HaET:坐沙發
推 LonelyLove:全然相反的評論 @@~
推 iamsjkla:推騎身體健康的…
推 JSFS:感謝辛苦翻譯分享
推 evo2001:推！  我還是比較相信ZX-RR是屬於野獸派的論調
推 onime0704:噗...差好多...我也跟樓上一樣...
推 Wanttobe5F:推-----------------------------------------------推
推 rex852753:偷問一下,為什麼這台退檔不用補油?還是廠車都不用
推 svuper:電腦會幫你補，抓離合器就好
推 JSFS:滑動離合器加上電腦會控制適度的引擎煞車,GP車還不會幫捕
推 JSFS:哇靠    失言    原來現在的電控這麼可怕....(驚)
推 u941812:KAWASAKI: 這個記者比較菜，engine map給他溫和一點的就好
推 JSFS:所以是mamola慣得比較狠就是了....XD