Mika Kallio battles to fourth without clutch at 250cc GP
of Italy
Red Bull KTM star Mika Kallio rode to an incredible fourth
place in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix overcoming a damaged
clutch that made it very difficult to shift through the gears
of his KTM FRR 250 machine.
The 24-year-old Finn dropped back to the middle of the pack
when the problem emerged going into the first turn of the
famous Italian racing circuit of Mugello. It is a testament
to his incredible skill and determination that he was able
to recover and finish with a top position. The World Champion
leader took 13 valuable points for his efforts and increased
his lead in the point standings. He is now 18 points clear
of second placed Mattia Pasini. Kallio's previous best performance
on the Mugello circuit was in 2006 when he was sixth in the
125cc race.
Great battle between Kallio and Aoyama
The 96,000 spectators around the track witnessed an exciting
battle between Kallio and his Red Bull KTM team-mate Hiroshi
Aoyama in the second half of the race. Aoyama also made a
remarkable recovery after an engine problem had spoiled his
warm-up session in the morning. Fourteenth after one lap,
Aoyama steadily moved up through the order and had fourth
place within his reach when he attacked Kallio on the 21st
and final lap of the race. Aoyama risked just a little too
much, ran off the track and dropped back again to a final
eighth position.
Kallio masters clutch problem
"My start was okay, but braking into the first corner
of the track, I realised that my clutch was gone and that
nothing happened when I pulled the lever. I tried to shift
down anyway, but on the corner exit I must still have been
in fourth or fifth gear instead of first, and a lot of riders
got past me. It was confusing and difficult to ride and easy
to make mistakes because shifting back without the clutch
makes the bike over-rev and difficult to control. Later on,
I managed to adjust the clutch a bit at the clutch lever and
this made it possible to finish the race. Of course I would
have been happier with a podium finish, but considering the
circumstances, it was still a good result and with a bunch
of valuable points for the championship!"
Aoyama risks a little too much in final dash
"Considering my crash yesterday and the engine problem
we had this morning, my lap times weren't bad in the race.
But I was too far back in the beginning, and even though I
caught up during the race, I spoiled my chances to take fourth
place when I took too many risks on the final lap. Mika and
I had moved up through the ranks little by little, and I eventually
managed to pass him but I was a little too late on the brakes
and ran straight into the gravel. No risk, no fun! Now I am
looking forward to the next race in Barcelona - I live there
during the Grand Prix season, so it will be almost like a
home Grand Prix for me!"
Lucky and unlucky, Technical Director Harald Bartol
says
"Today, we were lucky and unlucky at the same time. It
was unlucky that Kallio got a clutch problem in the race,
and it was very lucky that our main opponents in the championship
either finished behind us, or didn't make the finish altogether.
I have nothing but admiration for Mika's way of riding around
his problem!"
Results
1. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, Gilera, 40:19.910
2. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia, 40:20:409
3. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland, Aprilia, 40:20.622
4. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 40:27.313
5. Mattia Pasini, Italy, Aprilia, 40:32.452
Other KTM
8. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM, 40:37.226
11. Julian Simon, Spain, Repsol KTM 250cc, 41:07.270.
Championship Standings
1. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM 106 points
2. Mattia Pasini, 88
3. Alex Debon, Spain, 79
4. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, 78
5. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM, 61
01.06.2008
No luck for Raffaele de Rosa in 125 cc Italian GP
Onde 2000 KTM 125 rider Raffaele de Rosa was hard to console
after the 125 cc Grand Prix of Italy when he was unable to
convert his first career pole position into a podium place
and had to settle for thirteenth place.
The 21-year-old from Naples experienced an unexpected lack
of engine power in today's hot summer conditions and dropped
back behind the front runners to finish in the middle of the
field. Red Bull KTM 125 rider Randy Krummenacher secured 17th
position and is now looking forward to the next race in Barcelona,
where he had made his first ever podium finish one year ago.
Raffaele de Rosa: "My bike lost power
early on in the race. Once I had lost the draft of the leading
group, there was nothing I could do than settle for my own
rhythm. I am very disappointed, because after my first ever
pole position, I had certainly hoped for a better result!"
Randy Krummenacher: "We made further
set-up adjustments for the race that I hadn't been able to
try in the warm-up this morning and it took me a while to
adapt my riding style to these changes. When I found the confidence
to brake late, hard and deep into the corners, my lap times
improved, and I caught up with a few riders. I am still struggling
a bit on the corner exits, but all in all, we are improving
and we seem to be on the right track. I know that I don't
belong where I currently am in the rankings, and I can't wait
to start at Barcelona next week where I celebrated my first
podium last year. I will be on the attack there for sure!"
Harald Bartol (Technical Director): "I
am very sorry for De Rosa who obviously would have deserved
a much better result. It turned out that the drop in engine
power was due to a lack of airflow to the cylinders that could
have been avoided. Managing our bikes is not only a learning
experience for our young riders, but also for our new teams.
From race to race, everybody is gaining experience, and I
am sure we will be able to avoid problems like this in the
future."
Results
1. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 39:59.020
2. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia, 39:59.039
3. Pol Espargaro, Spain, Derbi, 39:59.056
4. Mike di Meglio, France, Derbi, 39:59.155
5. Bradley Smith, Britain, Aprilia, 39:59.198
Other KTM
13. Raffaele de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 40:17.386
17. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland Red Bull KTM 125, 40:29.649
19. Marc Marquez, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 40:32.888
20. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 40:35.948
25. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125 cc, 40:55.380
DNF
Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran
Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM
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