Doha: QMMF Racing Team celebrated a landmark result at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday with both riders storming to top ten results in qualifying for today’s Moto2 race at Phillip Island.
According to information received here, Mika Kallio took fifth place, with a gap of just 0.434 seconds to Alex Rins on pole position.
The 32-year-old from Finland was not only delighted with his second row position on the grid, but also with his consistency, which made him very confident for the race.
Team-mate Julian Simon was only three tenths of a second behind Kallio and equally fast in most sections of the track.
The only remaining problem of the 28-year-old Spaniard is the high-speed lefthand bend leading to the main straight, where he loses a few fractions of a second in comparison to the other top riders.
“We can be really, really happy and satisfied,” Kallio said after the qualifying stage.
“Yesterday I thought it would be good to be in the first three rows on the starting grid and now we are in the second row, which is a really good position to be in for the race. But more than anything, I am happy with our consistency,” he added.
“There are many riders who can do one lightning-fast lap, but I was able to repeat competitive times for many laps. Already yesterday afternoon and this morning, my rhythm was really good and this is more important for me than being in the top three with one single fast lap,” said Kallio before hoping to excel on the final day.
“For tomorrow, everything is possible. It will be a tough race and the main challenge will be to manage the rear tyre so it lasts the distance. I expect the race to be in a group for most of the time and in the last five laps or so, it will be crucial to have some tyre life left,” he said.
Kallio added: “It’s tricky because you need to be really fast to be in the front group and at the same time, you have to think about your tyre. Especially on the first laps, you can’t push too much, you have to be smooth and not too aggressive. There are many things to think about, but I’m quite confident that we can handle everything,” said Kallio.
Simon who finished 10th said he would look for more improvement today.
“This morning I was stuck with 21st place and this afternoon I moved up to the top ten, so I am happy. I still need to improve my rhythm, because when I’m riding alone, I am not as comfortable as I should be and I can’t do the best times.
“But we still made big steps forward with the set-up of the bike, especially for qualifying this afternoon,” he said.
Simon praised his team-mate Kallio for fine show at the ongoing event.
“My team-mate was very strong all weekend and we used some of his information, which was a big help. It’s nice to have good company in the team and to be able to share,” he said.
“My biggest problem is still the last corner of the track, because I don’t reach the right footpeg with my right foot in lefthand turns, and in this high-speed bend I am currently losing about 0.3 seconds,” he said.
The QMMF rider hoped for a strong start in today’s race.
“My aim for tomorrow is to have a good start and to concentrate especially well in this last turn, so I don’t lose contact to the other riders. I want to thank the team and the mechanics for their great support,” he commented.
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