Red Bull KTM rider Mika Kallio finished the 250 cc Grand Prix of Turkey in a strong sixth place, squeezing past Julian Simon in the last seven laps to regain his initial starting position. Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama was not as lucky. The Japanese ace crashed in the morning’s warm-up session and ignored the pain in his lower back to start in the race, only to fall off a second time, when another rider ran into him.
Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 – Sixth) “Sixth place is better than nothing, but it’s not what I expected. After qualifying, I honestly thought I would be able to follow and stay with the front runners, but I saw immediately after the start that this wouldn’t be possible today. My problem was the handling of the bike with a full tank. I was almost one second off the pace because I didn’t have the right feeling and feedback. It was only when the fuel went down that I gradually got back up to speed and regained my confidence. In the end, I had a nice battle with Julian Simon, and the power of our KTM engine helped me to catch and out-brake him on the back straight. It was a happy end to a long and difficult race!”
Team boss Harald Bartol said after the race that they would be investigating the handling problems that Mika Kallio experienced on Sunday. He was philosophical about Aoyama’s untimely exit saying: “As far as Hiroshi Aoyama goes, he just ran into bad luck – there was nothing he could have done!”
Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM 250 – did not finish) “It was not my lucky day: I crashed out in the warm-up session, and then I crashed out again at the beginning of the race when Aleix Espargaro banged into me in the middle of the track. I had a good start and I was in fifth or sixth position, so I’m sure I could have stayed with the leading group. But it wasn’t to be. The only good thing is that I didn’t get injured again. For the next race in Shanghai, my plan is not only to defeat my rivals but also my bad luck!”
The 20-lap, 106.8km race at Istanbul Park was run on a dry track with an air temperature of a mild 24°. The next Grand Prix will be in Shanghai, China on May 6, 2007.
Results:1. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy, Honda, 39’31.153
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain, Aprilia, 39’31.256
3. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia, 39’31.471
4. Alex De Angelis, San Marino, Aprilia, 39’36.047
5. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland, Aprilia, 39’50.908
6. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM, 39’54.099
Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM DNF
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