Red Bull KTM 250 Team Report from Qatar Qualifying 2
 Mika
Kallio of the Red Bull KTM 250 team elevated himself into
the first row grid in the closing minutes of the second qualifying
session in Qatar ahead of the first ever night race in the
world championship GP.
In two difficult late-night qualifying sessions, Kallio pushed
his bike to the limit to secure his position while Team-mate
Hiroshi Aoyama, who had steadily improved throughout the previous
practice sessions, ran into more difficulties than expected
when air and track temperatures dropped and finished in twelvth
position. Spain's Julian Simon aboard the Repsol KTM 250,
struggled for similar reasons and holds 14th place on the
grid.
What the KTM 250 cc riders said after Saturday's practice
Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 - 4th in 1:59.814)
"Mission accomplished! The front row was our goal after
finishing sixth in yesterday's first qualifying, and that
fact that we've achieved this is certainly better than nothing,
and a good result under the circumstances. We have been struggling
to find the right settings. The bike just doesn't give me
the same feedback as it did in our previous tests at Jerez
and at Valencia. The lower track temperatures certainly have
something to do with the problem, We've always struggled a
bit once temperatures go down. It's hard to pin-point where
the problem is exactly, because when I ride a second slower,
I still feel as if I am right on the limit. To turn things
around, I just kept pushing and pushing, and I was ready to
accept whatever would happen. Luckily I managed to stay on,
and to secure a good start into this season. I am confident
for the race tomorrow, because the start is much earlier when
the asphalt is still warm which should help us a lot!"
Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM - 12th in 2:00.609)
"I expected to improve much more than I did, but in the
end, I couldn't do more than I did. I struggled to make the
best use of the tyre grip we had, which just wasn't enough
to give me confidence. We are now going through all our data
and try to find improvements to chassis and suspension set-up.
I hope that with better track conditions for the race, the
result will be better for us, too!"
KTM Technical Director Harald Bartol
"The conditions out there have been changing rapidly,
which made it difficult for everybody. The fact that the race
happens almost three hours earlier than qualifying doesn't
help. To make our work more efficient, we certainly would
have preferred similar starting times."
Results Qualifying Practice 2
1. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia
2. Hector Barbera, Spain, Aprilia
3. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia
4. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM
12. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM
14. Julian Simon, Spain. KTM
Timetable for race night - Sunday March 9: Local time
18.10 - 18.30 250 Warm -Up
21.15 - 250 RACE (20 laps)
(Time difference between Qatar and CET is plus two hours)
08.03.2008
Qatar: What the KTM 125cc riders said after Qualifying 2
KTM rider Raffaele de Rosa of Team Onde 2000 was fastest of
the KTM's seven-rider line-up in 125 cc qualifying on the
Losail Circuit, Qatar ahead of the first ever night race in
the world championship series and the opening of the 2008
season.
The 20-year-old Italian, who had been consistently within
the top runners throughout all pre season tests, confirmed
his good form with fifth places in both qualifying sessions
and an overall sixth position on the grid.
De Rosa's Spanish team-mate Pablo Nieto moved up to 16th place
and was equally content with his result, since he radically
changed geometry and suspension set-up of his bike and improved
by almost two seconds since Friday's first free practice session.
Red Bull KTM 125 rider Randy Krummenacher, who struggled throughout
the pre-season testing period, also found light at the end
of the tunnel and improved by almost a second in comparison
to yesterday, starting the race from 25th position on the
grid.
Rider quotes after Saturday training:
Raffaele de Rosa (Onde 2000 KTM 125 - 6th in 2:05.618)
"For me, the strongest point of KTM is the chassis. The
bike turns very easily, keeps its cornering lines precisely,
and is a pleasure to ride altogether. We are also very strong
on the engine side, and I know that KTM never rest in their
efforts to find even more horsepower, which is especially
good for me because I weigh 61 kg and many of my opponents
are much lighter! Our only real problem for this race was
to find a suitable front tyre. We spent quite some time yesterday
trying different compounds, but today, we solved this problem,
and now, we are ready to race!"
Pablo Nieto (Onde 2000 KTM 125) "I can't be happy with
my grid position, but I'm happy with our progress. You simply
can't shave three seconds off your lap time at once,"
said Nieto.
Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125 - 25th in 2:07.603)
"We've been in trouble in the tests but right in time,
we've managed to turn a page and to get back on track. Whereas
today's free practice session still didn't go according to
plan, we finally found good set-up in final qualifying that
gave me the confidence that I've been missing. I'm only 25th
on the gird, but I've got a good feeling for tomorrow. A little
more fine tuning in the warm-up session, then I should be
able to flick the switch to "go" and speed up in
the race!"
Results Qualifying Practice 2
1. Bradley Smith Britain Aprilia
2. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia
3. Mike De Meglio, France, Derbi
4. Scott Redding, Britain, Aprilia
5. Raffaele De Rosa, Onde 2000 KTM
9. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125 cc
13. Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM
19. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran
24. Randy Krummenacher, Red Bull KTM 125
32 Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran
Timetable for race night - Sunday March 9:
Local time
17.40 - 18.00 125 Warm-Up
20.00 125 RACE (18 laps)
(Time difference between Qatar and CET is plus two hours)
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