和GSV-R那篇的作者是同一个人， 因为是澳洲的杂志， 所以访问的车手是West， 有趣的是这篇的评语和Randy Mamola的意见相当不同， 我应该比较相信Mamola的说法， 可以比较看看。 如果有缺漏或谬误的地方，请不吝指正<(_ _)> (原文刊载於Motor Cycle Australian News Vol.57 No12 2007年12月号) Never Say Die 永不言败 For Kawasaki and Ant West, dream becomes reality for the 2008 MotoGP season 对Kawasaki还有Ant West来说，08年的赛季就像美梦成真一样 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的级别打滚多年，在你放弃离开转往Supersport World Championship时你银行户头里只剩下170元澳币（约4800元）。但在Supersport级别的第 一站站上颁奖台并接下来获得两胜之後，你展现了令人印象深刻的天分。接着Kawasaki的 工厂车队来电请你过去测试，一切的琐事都成为过去… 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. 那是今年年初发生在Anthony West，一个26岁的昆士兰人身上的真实故事。但六个月後的 赛季休兵期，West现在正在为08年他第一个完整的MotoGP赛季做准备。 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. 在六月巴塞隆纳站那通美妙的电话之後，West以令人激赏的速度学习关於MotoGP的一切。 在他今年的11场比赛当中，他在其中10站取得积分。 “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解释道：「事情转变的如此迅速实在是件很有趣的事情。当我重新回到GP赛场时是待 在一只厂队里！当我离开的时候我还以为我不会再赛车了，这个转变实在很巨大。」 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神奇复出的另一个主要原因则是Kawasaki新的800cc ZX-RR。去年年底在日本站 Puniet获得第二名的成绩，还有许多次排位赛亮眼的表现都说明车队的进步是显着的。 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年改换到Bridgestone阵营的决定，在今年Ｂ牌轮胎大放异彩後终於开花结 果。这些情节都来到West手里，他紧抓住机会，登上舞台并开始发光发热。 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，我发现自己坐在West的pit区里等着测试这台绿色机 器。在Kawasaki工作区里每一件事情都是洁净无垢的，就像他们车子上整整齐齐地的印花 贴纸一样，一点灰尘也没有。 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. 我猜当West在英国站被叫上来顶替Oliver Jacque的时候，大概跟我现在一样焦虑不安吧 ：虽然说他的目标是对抗世界上最好的车手，而我只是骑身体健康的… 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的车是我这两天测试计画中第一台要骑的车，意味着这是我对MotoGP赛车的初体 验，我把每件事情都圈出来。但就在我明白车库外面至少有上百个人之前，我就被叫出去 进行我五圈的测试。 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. 当车子发动之後我就察觉到已经没有退路了，本来应该是我生命中最棒的一个时刻现在却 让我成了紧张的神经衰弱者。但当我松开离合器并驶离pit区之後，我的紧张随着拘束烟 消云散，那种骑在MotoGP界领域中最佳战车的感觉实在是非常令人惊艳，Kawasaki的战车 可以说是07年的车种中改良最成功的。 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看起来就是又窄又小台，跨坐时也是，跟Ducati甚至是Suzuki比起来， West的车在车身中段可以说非常苗条。 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. 在骑乘位置方面，座椅把我往前推往龙头的部分，龙头上的设置很宽敞。不像Vermeulen 那台Suzuki上要命的设定，West的拉杆设定对我来说恰到好处，也就是说如果这台车是我 的，那设定就是我所想要的。 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的全数位2D仪表以非常忙碌的方式显示每一个你能想像、还有想像不到的讯息。 在8000转以前转速表并不会作动，但很快地在17800转换档指示灯亮之後，转速表就来到 转速极值 - 18300转。 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. 当West在骑车的时候他不会真的去读仪表上的资讯，他会使用引擎震耳欲聋的声响，还有 他个人的感觉来判断。他会使用车上大型的档位指示器，特别是在新的赛道上。 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年的的引擎给人深刻的印象，一开始就比大魔王Honda和Yamaha更引人瞩目 。它也常被人和Suzuki相提并论，认为是今年最令人惊艳的引擎之一。 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. 我发现作为一台MotoGP的赛车，ZX-RR可以说出奇地友善，动力输出非常的驯服，虽然还 是难以相信的快啦。从低转速区开始到最高转速区，整颗引擎的表现可以说非常的稳定。 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. 对我来说，MotoGP赛车的第一印象是小而舒适（以我168的身高来说），但动力却大大的 凌驾在车重之上。和Yamaha相比，Kawasaki的油门和後轮之间的传输对我来说比较不是问 题。而当我从低转速灌油门的时候，前轮浮举的倾向比较明显。 “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区之後，West对我说：「适应MotoGP赛车的时候，马力是最关键的一件事。 我当时的反应和你一样，就像…哇靠(笑)！马力的峰值让骑乘这件事变得非常有意思。」 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. 我没有办法想像我骑在ZX-RR，或是其他任何MotoGP赛车上完成十圈赛事的样子。West跟 我说当我习惯出力之後整件事似乎会变得简单一点，但如果要再骑得凶一点，那麽事情就 会再次的困难起来。他说：「我现在骑乘的经验已经相当多了，骑起来感觉好像比较轻松 一点。但如果我要再多催一点速度，整个感觉就会非常困难。整台车开始有许多侧滑和孤 轮的倾向，所有的事情加在一起就会让骑快变得很困难。」 “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.” 「在轨迹控制系统的帮助下，一开始似乎都很简单，但当你加快速度的时候，全部的事情 都变了样。你冲进弯道并快速的灌下油门，但在你抵达弯道的apex点之前，车子却开始侧 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说他真的很期待随着大量季末测试而来的改良。他说：「一开始的时候我小心翼翼， 但现在我可以更拼命地骑它，并且更有信心。」 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. 和其他任何车辆相比，Kawasaki的电子控制系统可以说是最引人注目的，在每个入弯和出 弯的时候，它总是控制着引擎的运作。和Ducati的车一样，在弯道时引擎的动态变化非常 迅速，你可以专注在下一个要操作的档位上。好加在，ZX-RR在转换档位的控制上实在很 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. 在我短短的测试中，我越来越有自信在提早开启油门这件事上，我试着忽略车子力道的输 出并信赖电子仪器的作用。我没办法像West一样好，但至少在比赛的时候，他也得依靠电 子控制系统来好好驾驭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.” 他说：「透过电子控制系统你可以改变很多设定，有时候它可能会稍稍过了点头；而有时 候设定错了，它还会让车子根本无法动弹。」 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. 对於ZX-RR来说，进弯时降低档位是非常简单的事情，只需要拉起煞车、把档位降低，你 的後轮不会乱跳，车子也没有什麽怪癖 – 电子控制仪器把所有的问题都处理得很好。 “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说：「当你骑的是一辆街道用车时，你降档时必须补点油门。但在MotoGP赛车上，就 像骑二行程车辆一般直接退档就可以了，你可以专注在煞车和过弯这档子事上。」 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. 车架是整台车我最喜欢的部分，和其他车相比也是最令我喜爱的一台。这台忍者的人体工 学正和我的胃口，就像在家一样，打造的品质也是好到没话说。 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. 一开始测试的时候，因为我从来没用过碳纤维碟盘，所以煞车用起来挺别扭的。但这组 Brembo的314mm双前碟组合可以在任何场合下让我顺利煞停，就算是在高温状态下也很OK 。不像Honda车上的组合，它们使用起来还满容易的。 “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说：「碳纤维组合的煞车满奇特的，特别在冷却的时候几乎没反应，但当它们开始运 作的时候你可以完全的放心，最棒的是在赛事过程中不会像钢制碟盘一样有衰退的问题。 」 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. 我没有机会用力操驾ZX-RR来深度体验他的操控品质，但在我相对较慢的骑乘速度下，欧 老师的悬吊倒也证明了它的性能和宽容性。 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那麽极端，但和其他三厂相比，在进弯时ZX-RR对我来说还是有点费劲，这跟 车子的设定无关，只是我自己没有按照它想被操驾的方式去骑它而已。 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. 但在骑乘的尾声时，ZX-RR已经完全赢得我的心。和我在马来西亚时试骑的RC212V（我喜 爱的车种之一）相比，它是台能最简单享受乐趣的MotoGP赛车。 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. 对West来说，Kawasaki给了他第二次的机会，他得到了一台厂车，08年也将和新队友 John Hopkins一同掀起狂潮。West很享受现在的骑乘，也将彻底磨练自己，来看看现在的 美梦是否是真的。 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.” 他很珍惜每一次的过弯、每一次的选择档位还有每一场和Kawasaki一起完成的比赛，他也 希望自己能尽早站上颁奖台，在不久的将来挤身胜利者的行列。他说：「在其他赛车上， 只有在骑着它比赛的时候，它才真的是属於你的赛车。但在MotoGP的战驹上，从开赛前的 准备到比赛结束後的环场，我分分秒秒都乐在其中。」 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.” 「骑着这种车的乐趣实在太多了，特别是在超过时速200公里的情况下，简直是爽翻天。 」最後West用这样一句话来为他的美梦作总结。 Amazing indeed. 的确，超爽。 ZX-RR 07年 引擎： 引擎形式：液冷DOHC 16气动式汽门 直四 排气量：798cc 点火系统：电子 供油系统：EFI，Magneti MarelliECU，Keihinq平板滑动式油门(flatslide) 变速系统： 形式：六速变速 离合器：乾式多片滑动式离合器 传动：链条 底盘和轮胎： 车架：铝制双梁 轴距：1460mm 悬吊：Ohlins 前悬吊：42mm TTX20氮化钛涂层倒立式液压前叉-压缩组尼 回弹阻尼 预载可调形式。 後悬吊：TTX36 单枪-压缩组尼 回弹阻尼 预载可调形式。 轮框：JB Power Magtan锻造镁轮框 前：3.75x16.5 後:6.25x16.5 轮胎：Bridgestone光头胎 前：125/60R16.5 後：190/65R16.5 煞车系统：Brembo 前：双314mm 碳纤维前碟 辐射对向四活塞卡钳 後；200後碟 对向双活塞卡钳 车身细节： 重量：超过148 KG(乾燥重量) 油箱容量：21公升 性能： 马力：超过157kW @18,200 rpm(约213.52hp) 极速：331 km/h (上海站) --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 58.172.58.181