MotoGP
Lady luck rides with KTM's Mika Kallio in Jerez
31 marzo 2008 Kallio had taken an early lead but dropped back as his rear tyre grip diminished, was able to sail home for a lucky but well deserved victory when Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista went out. The 25-year-old Finn had been able to defend third place for most of the race and even when Swiss rider Tom Lüthi got ahead of him, he fought back to regain his position. Still an enjoyable victory for Kallio Kallio said he felt sorry for Alvaro Bautista but underlined that his team had been unlucky in the past so he allowed himself to be happy with his victory. "I had a good start and took the lead, but very early on, almost immediately, my rear tyre grip started to drop. Even though we hadn't made any changes my bike felt completely different to yesterday and to this morning's warm-up. The tyre was also supposed to be the same as the one we used in practice. I saw there was no way to hang on to the leaders, so I settled into my own pace and tried to defend third place, which was difficult enough. Then I got into a fight with Tom Lüthi but another group of riders came from behind I regained my third position." Cloud of dust reveals imminent victory Kallio said he then saw a cloud of dust in the last lap and Bautista and Simoncelli came out of it. "I knew I only had to finish the race to take victory although it didn't feel the same as if you fight for your win, I still happy." Kallio dedicated his victory to his 6-months-old daughter, who, although she slept through her father's success, was attending her first Grand Prix. Solid places for Aoyama and Simon The event was also rewarding for Kallio's team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama and Spanish Repsol KTM 250 rider Julian Simon. Aoyama, who had managed to move up from eighth to sixth then made a heroic dash at the end to jump two more places to finish fourth. Simon, who battled increasing pain in his right arm and rode in a lonely ninth position, eventually finished in seventh place. New start for Aoyama "The Grand Prix of Qatar was horrible for me, so today was like the first race for me, as if the season had just begun," Aoyama said. "Somebody pushed me off my line right after the start of the race and I lost a lot of places, but after that, everything went really well. My engine was strong and consistent, and the chassis set-up was fine. I only struggled a bit with the level of tyre grip in the fast corners. But we've shown that we are fast and competitive again, and my expectations for the next race in Portugal are very high!" Simon has problems with arm Julian Simon of Repsol KTM 250cc was in fifth place for almost half the race and expected a strong result. But then he had problems with his right forearm, which became very painful. "It got harder and harder to control the front brake and throttle, which is why I lost some positions," the Spanish KTM rider said. Bartol positive While conceding it was a lucky victory, Technical Director Harald Bartol joined with Mika in enjoying the victory. "With Mika now second in the championship standings, and all three KTM 250 riders in the top seven, things look really good for us. But at the same time, we know in which areas we have to catch up. In terms of speed, Bautista had a small edge over us and we will be working hard to close this gap," Bartol said. Results 250 cc race 1. Mika Kallio, Finland, Red Bull KTM 250 2. Mattia Pasini, Italy, Aprilia 3. Yuki Takahashi, Japan, Honda 4. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, Red Bull KTM 250 5. Hector Barbera, Spain, Aprilia 7. Julian Simon, Spain, Repsol KTM 250 cc |
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