Red Bull KTM's Mika Kallio takes third 250 GP victory of
the season
Red Bull KTM 250 star Mika Kallio made the British 250 GP
a race to remember coming from behind at fourteenth place
on the grid to take victory in the closing stages of the race
and to further advance in the season's championship standings.
The 25-year-old Finn, who used a new chassis that his team
had prepared for this race weekend, rode with ever-increasing
confidence after some last-minute adjustments for the windy
and dry track conditions at Donington Park. He worked his
way through the main pack and then chipped steadily away at
the two leaders, finally making his bid for first place with
just two laps to go. Kallio again proved that he is not just
a brilliant rider but also a master tactician as he settled
in behind race leaders Alvaro Bautista and Marco Simoncelli.
They made a crucial mistake in the notorious last corner before
the main straight and Kallio swept past to take his third
victory of the season.
Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 - first)
"We used our new chassis today and we were lucky with
the set-up this morning. The bike didn't feel right when I
first went out in the dry and after the session we decided
to go a step back with the settings towards what we had used
in the wet. I got a good start in the race but the most important
thing was that the bike felt much better, especially on the
front. My confidence grew from lap to lap and I was able to
push harder. When I caught up to the front runners I was going
to attack but they made a mistake and rode wide and that made
my job much easier."
Kallio now has an eight point lead in the standings going
to the next race at Assen, a circuit that was difficult for
the team last year. "After Assen, we go to Germany where
we are really, really fast!" Kallio promised.
Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM - sixth)
Red Bull KTM Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama also had a good start,
but lost concentration and a few positions with a clutch problem,
and fought back to sixth place. "My start wasn't too
bad, but then I had a problem with the clutch that made me
lose concentration and a few places. I eventually managed
to recover and fight my way back to sixth position, but we
could have done better today. I am a little bit disappointed!"
Repsol KTM 250 rider Julian Simon, who held third place in
the initial stages of the race, came home in eighth position.
Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"My respect to Mika, his comeback from fourteenth position
on the grid was spectacular. We had a bit of luck on our side
because at the last minute this morning, we found the right
set-up for today's conditions. But most of all, it was his
riding that made all the difference today."
Results
1. Mika Kallio, Finland, Red Bull KTM 250, 42:14.410
2. Marco Simoncelli, Gilera, Italy, 42:14.763
3. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia, 42:15.647
4. Hector Barbara, Spain, Aprilia, 42:23.285
5. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland, Aprilia, 42:25.769
Other KTM
6. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, Red Bull KTM 250, 42:30.534
8. Julian Simon, Spain, Repsol KTM 250cc, 42:32.417
Standings
1. Mika Kallio, Finland, Red Bull KTM 250, 131 points
2. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Gilera, 123
3. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia, 101
4. Mattia Pasini, Italy, Aprilia, 98
5. Hector Barbera, Spain, Aprilia, 82
Other KTM
6. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM 80
10. Julian Simon, Spain, Repsol KTM 250cc, 51
22.06.2008
First 125 GP podium for KTM rider Marc Marquez at Donington
Park
Repsol KTM rider Marc Marquez stunned his competitors and
the 88000 fans around the Donington Park racing circuit in
Britain in the 125 cc GP on Sunday putting in a fantastic
race for his first ever Grand Prix podium finish.
The slightly built 15-year-old Spaniard, who was also the
fastest KTM rider in qualifying battled his way to the front
of the pursuing group and stayed with World Championship leader
Mike di Meglio, finishing the race only half a second behind
the fast Frenchman.
Good Day for KTM riders
It was also a good day for other KTM teams with ISPA KTM Aran
rider Tomoyoshi Koyama in sixth, Esteve Rabat (Repsol KTM
125) in eleventh and Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125)
in thirteenth. The positive results confirmed KTMs latest
technical development steps in this category. Onde 2000 rider
Raffaele de Rosa, who was riding within the top five and six
for most of the race, ran off the track in the last corner,
but still reached the chequered flag in fourteenth place.
Marc Marquez (Repsol KTM 125 - third)
"It was a tough race, especially at the beginning where
a lot of riders banged into each other trying to gain positions
but I was just as determined and confident as everyone else
in the group. The bike ran and handles really well, so I managed
to defend my position within the top group of riders. Surprisingly,
the wind wasn't a big problem, either. It had disturbed me
a lot during the warm-up, but I didn't really notice it during
the race. I tried my best to stay with Mike di Meglio, but
beating him was out of my reach today. It doesn't matter,
because even though I dropped back behind him on the final
laps, I think a podium finish is a very good result for me,
and a reason to celebrate. I've been told I made history today
being the youngest ever Spanish rider on a Grand Prix podium,
but this is not that important to me - my goal is to keep
learning - and to become world champion one day. Now I'm going
to concentrate on the next race in Assen, where I'll try my
best to s core another good result!"
Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125 - thirteenth)
"The wind was the same for everybody, but for some reason,
I seemed to suffer more from it than the others. Even though
I tried a lot to get weight onto the front of the bike, I
seemed to be losing the front due to the gusts of wind so
it was a tough race for me. We have to make quicker set-up
changes as the weather changes. But at least we got three
points that is a step in the right direction. Now I am looking
forward to an even bigger step!"
Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"Congratulations also to Marc Marquez who is our future
in racing! As I said yesterday, he has no respect for big
names. That's the way it's supposed to be, and he's fantastic
to watch on the bike. There's a lot more to come from him
in the future!"
Results
1. Scott Redding, Britain, Aprilia, 41:39.472
2. Mike De Meglio, France, Derbi, 41:44.796
3. Marc Marquez, Spain Repsol KTM 125cc, 41:45.278
4. Stefan Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 41:53.462
5. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 41:56.327
6. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran, 41-56.653
Other KTM
11. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 41:58.448
13. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, Red Bull KTM 125, 42:07.819
14. Raffael de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 42:08.875
15. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 42:15.235
DNF Pablo Nieto SPA Onde 2000 KTM
Standings
1. Mike Di Meglio, France, Derbi,132
2. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 109
3. Stefan Bradl, Germany, Aprilia, 77
4. Nicolas Terol, Spain, Aprilia, 75,
5. Pol Espargaro, Spain, Derbi, 75
Other KTM
14. Marc Marquez, Spain, Repsol KTM 26
16. Raffaele de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 24
17. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran, 19
21. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 14
22. Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM, 11
23. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 10
24. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, Red Bull KTM 125, 10
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