Source: Supplied.

Australian international Anthony West will make his second appearance with the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing outfit in WorldSSP this weekend in Qatar, where he’s adamant on closing out the season with strong finish to his credit.

West is coming off a brilliant podium performance in Jerez, which has boosted his confidence ahead of the weekend, revealing he’s relatively familiar with the Losail circuit and will draw upon his previous experience at the venue.

“After the race in Jerez I can come here to Losail with a bit of confidence on the bike and feeling good from the podium we scored in Spain,” West commented. “I know the track layout pretty well as I have done some Qatar championship rounds in the past.

“I feel good about it and I am looking forward to racing here. Hopefully we can compete here with the same feeling, and at the same level, as Jerez. I feel like we should be able to do it and I would definitely like to finish the season well here.”

Five-time world champion Kenan Sofuoglu has taken the brave decision try for just one more win in the 2017 season, despite his recent pelvic injury. He is the only rider who can mathematically stop Lucas Mahias from lifting the crown, however he’ll have to undergo a medical evaluation following FP1, where it will be determined if he’ll be permitted to race the weekend.

“After France it looked like we had finished our season after the crash,” said Sofuoglu. “All the doctors were thinking it would be a minimum eight weeks in bed and the final recovery of maybe a minimum 12 weeks.

“The medical staff told me they would let me ride the bike tomorrow. Then they want to see how I am and how I feel after first practice. I think it will be okay but they just want to make another assessment after the first free practice session. I will be very happy if I can really ride my bike.”