West to make 500cc Grand Prix debut.

Australian teenager Anthony West will make his 500cc motorcycle world championship debut on Sunday, riding a Honda V-Twin in the South African Grand Prix at Welkom.

West, who finished sixth in the 250cc world championship in 2000, travelled from the Gold Coast to South Africa yesterday and will ride the Honda 500cc machine for the first time in the opening practice session at Welkom later today.

The 19-year-old negotiated to race the Honda for the Dutch-based Dee Cee Racing Team, managed by Jan Huberts, earlier this week because of uncertainty about his scheduled ride at Welkom on an Aprilia in the 250cc grand prix.

West announced on March 31 he would ride in this year's 250cc world championship with a Milan-based Aprilia team, but he missed the series opener at Suzuka in Japan on April 8 because his motorcycles could not be transported from Europe to the circuit in time for the race.

"Things were still up in the air for this weekend with the 250, so when the chance came to race the 500 I jumped at it," said West.

"I haven't been on a grand prix bike since the end of last season and at this stage the most important thing is to do some riding."

"It would have been good to do a test somewhere on the 500 before this weekend's race, but the main thing is I'm back on a bike and I'm fortunate this chance has come along."

West has raced in a total of 33 grands prix, the first of them in the 125cc class at Phillip Island in Australia in 1998.

He rode Hondas in the 250cc world championship the past two years, with a best result of fourth at Assen in the Netherlands and at Estoril in Portugal in 2000.

Italian Valentino Rossi leads this year's 500cc world championship after winning the race at Suzuka on a Nastro Azzuro Honda ahead of Australia's Garry McCoy on a Red Bull Yamaha.