Red Bull KTM 250 riders Mika Kallio and Hiroshi Aoyama both confirmed their upwards trend in Sunday's Catalunya Grand Prix with strong sixth and seventh places in the 250 cc class.
Kallio of Finland held on to fourth place until lap five, taking advantage of his bike's perfect setup for the opening stages of the race with a full tank of fuel. He was engaged in a battle with Spanish hero Alvaro Bautista in the middle of the race but had to give way to the reigning 125 cc champion when his tyres started to go off on the last two laps of the race.
Team-mate Aoyama also had a great start and, after a few cautious laps, settled into a comfortable top ten position. As the race progressed, the 25-year-old Japanese picked up the pace and slipped by two more popular Spanish riders, Hector Barberá and Julian Simon. Aoyama finished in seventh place.
"We were able to finish in a good position, didn't have any problems with the bike and the set-up, and I even held fifth position for a long time," Kallio said at the conclusion of the race. He said he managed to stick with Bautista until the last couple of laps but once the tyres were finished it became increasingly difficult to control the bike. "We used a setting that was good for the opening laps with a full petrol tank, and after the first very fast five laps, I already started to lose a little bit of grip. But it was definitely the right decision. It felt great to be up with the leaders, right from the start. This result is something we can build on for the future!" Kallio concluded
Aoyama also said that although he did not score a top result, he felt the team was making progress sorting out problems experienced in recent races. "I am very satisfied that we managed to stay out of trouble and finish the race. I had a great start and settled into a good rhythm early on in the race. I even managed to overtake some of the Spanish riders who are usually very strong at their home race. I will be really happy once we start to win races again, but even today, I am much happier than I was last week in Italy!"
The team's Technical Director, Harald Bartol also viewed the weekend's results in positive terms, especially because of the team's two podiums earlier in the day in the 125 cc class. Tomoyoshi Koyama won his first ever MotoGP 125 race and young Swiss Randy Krummenacher was third for his first ever podium.
"The races today were a boost for the moral of everybody in the team, and our victory in the 125 cc class couldn't have come at a better time. We always knew that our bikes were fast, and it was only a matter of time that our riders got it all together and turned the opportunity into success."
Race Results:
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain, Aprilia, 40:51.620
2. Alex de Angelis, San Marino, Aprilia, 40:54.814
3. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy, Honda, 41:02.216
4. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland, Aprilia 41:08.720
5. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia, 41:11.918
6. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 41:12.186
7. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM 41:12.235
Photos: Kirn F.
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