Last minute fright for Kallio and Simon in GP qualifying in Germany

2008-07-12 10:33
Red Bull KTM 250 star Mika Kallio and Repsol KTM 250 rider Julian Simon both start in the first row for Sunday's Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring but both had an anxious moment in the final qualifying session just before the final flag went out.

Two minutes before the end and just as Simon had secured his second place, the Spaniard's front wheel slipped away. And while Simon was knocking the dust off his leathers there was another incident when Honda rider Wilairot crashed his motorcycle directly in front of the Kallio's front wheel. Just like Simon, fourth placed Kallio also stood up uninjured. The only handicap of the championship leader is a bruised thigh, which he incurred during a 238 km/h high speed crash while on a private test ride in Brno the week before.

Whereby Kallio and Simon have found perfect settings for their motorcycles and are hoping for fine weather for tomorrow's race, there is still a lot of work for Hiroshi Aoyama to do. Kallio's team-mate, who won the German Grand Prix in great style in 2007 only qualified in ninth place and has to be satisfied with a third line starting position.

Julian Simon (Repsol KTM 250 - second in 1:24.057)
"My front wheel slipped from under me just before the end of the session and I crashed. But apart from that little incident I am very satisfied with how the weekend is going. We were fast in all the training sessions, we're right up with the front riders and we have found a good set-up Naturally I am hoping that it goes just like this tomorrow and that we have dry conditions for the race so I can ride with the same rhythm as today. My goal is to be up with the front group right from the start and to be celebrating with a podium at the end of the day."

Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 - fourth in 1:24.084)
"Everything actually went very well in training. My feeling for the bike was even better than usual and I was continually able to put in very fast laps. It was only in the final 10 minutes of the qualifying that things did not go as we had planned. In the first place there was a lot of traffic and I wasn't able to improve on my time. And then just as I was on my last flying lap and saw enough space around me Willairot crashed and brought me down with him. That was not very good for us but it could have been worse. We're in the front row, I didn't get injured and the bike's set up is good. We also know what tyres we will use. I just hope the weather stays the way it is and we can race in dry conditions!"

Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM - ninth in 1:24.544)
"Of course I wanted to be faster today and to be in the front row but we had a couple of little problems that cost me a few tenths of a second and this makes a big difference and can cost you places on this short circuit. But we don't put our head in the sand; we continue to work hard. We have another training session tomorrow morning and we have often turned things around just before the race. I remain optimistic!"

Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"I am satisfied. We came out of things ok after the crashes of Kallio and Simon. My only concern is that Simoncelli looks extremely fast here. But even so, Mika can still go even faster when he doesn't get held up in traffic. Luckily he is really fit because the crash in Brno could have had worse consequences."

Source: KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG

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