Kawasaki frustrated by West's crash

West was the squad's sole representative in the Dutch TT after a qualifying crash left John Hopkins with leg injuries that could sideline him for the next two races.

The team hoped that West - who has struggled for much of the first half of the season - could build on the resurgent form he showed at Donington Park and take another top ten finish, but he was delayed avoiding Alex de Angelis' crash on the first lap, and then fell when running 11th.

"We've made a lot of improvements this weekend, so it is quite disheartening to come away with no points," said Bartholemy.

"John's injuries from the crash yesterday ruled him out of the race, so all of our hopes were on Anthony, who I felt sure was capable of repeating his top ten Donington success.

"The incident at turn one left him quite a long way back, but he rode hard to pass a few people into 11th place, and was catching the group ahead of him."

Bartholemy was particularly annoyed because he believed the Kawasaki was much more competitive at Assen than in recent races.

"His lap times were consistently fast and it's a real frustration because with the upgrades we've made this weekend, he was very capable of achieving a good result," he said. "We now have to focus on taking advantage of the developments we've made at the next round."

West felt his first lap delay had forced him to push beyond the limit.

"I was sure I could catch the group ahead of me and be well within the top ten, but we were lapping at a similar pace and with the incident at the start, I had to push just that little bit harder," he said.

"Unfortunately I lost the front of the bike and crashed out, which is a real disappointment because we were quite strong today.

"The new engine upgrades have made a difference and we still have more grip than previously, despite struggling a little bit in places with cornering. We just need some luck on our side and, hopefully, we'll be fighting for good positions next time out at Sachsenring."