Second row for Simon and Kallio for Czech 250 cc GP

2008-08-16 11:07
KTM riders Julian Simon and Mika Kallio on Saturday qualified in sixth and seventh position in wet and difficult conditions on the traditional racing circuit of Brno ahead of Sunday's 250 cc Czech Grand Prix.

Both riders said after the session that they could have gone faster. Spanish Repsol KTM 250 rider Simon battled with poor visibility as the visor of his helmet misted up while Red Bull KTM 250 star and title contender Kallio ran into a small technical problem on his last and fastest lap when the engine of his bike started to cut out.

Kallio's Red Bull team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama experienced a difficult day. The Japanese rider had finished in a strong fifth place in Friday's first qualifying but ended the Saturday session in a disappointing sixteenth place after being slowed by a lack of grip and feel for his rear tyre.

Julian Simon (Repsol KTM 250 - sixth in 2:13.074)
"I am quite happy with our performance. Without the problem with the visor of my helmet that fogged up during my final run, I could have gone much faster, and taken a front row starting position. But our progress was really good. Yesterday, we didn't do so well in wet conditions, but today, my feeling for the bike has improved a lot. Now we have to wait and see what tomorrow's conditions will be like, but I am not worried: We have a good setting for dry as well as for wet conditions, and I am really looking forward to the race. I hope I can to reward the guys in my team with a good result for all the hard work they have put in!"

Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 - seventh in 2:13.698)
"In the last minutes of the session, we all pushed more and more, and my final lap was quite good. I was only 0.4 seconds behind the best time, when something happened with the engine. It started to cut out and it felt as if I were running out of fuel. Otherwise, the feeling with the bike was good and we are well prepared for any conditions tomorrow. For the race, first or second row won't make a big difference - but of course, we wanted to be higher up in the practice classification!"

Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM 250 - sixteenth in 2:15.785)
"Yesterday, things didn't go all that bad, but today, something went wrong and it was difficult to push. The grip and feeling for the rear tyre just wasn't there. I hope we can improve for the race!"




Source: KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG

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