KTM rider Raffaele de Rosa of Team Onde 2000 was fastest of the KTM's seven-rider line-up in 125 cc qualifying on the Losail Circuit, Qatar ahead of the first ever night race in the world championship series and the opening of the 2008 season.
The 20-year-old Italian, who had been consistently within the top runners throughout all pre season tests, confirmed his good form with fifth places in both qualifying sessions and an overall sixth position on the grid.
De Rosa's Spanish team-mate Pablo Nieto moved up to 16th place and was equally content with his result, since he radically changed geometry and suspension set-up of his bike and improved by almost two seconds since Friday's first free practice session. Red Bull KTM 125 rider Randy Krummenacher, who struggled throughout the pre-season testing period, also found light at the end of the tunnel and improved by almost a second in comparison to yesterday, starting the race from 25th position on the grid.
Raffaele de Rosa (Onde 2000 KTM 125)
"For me, the strongest point of KTM is the chassis. The bike turns very easily, keeps its cornering lines precisely, and is a pleasure to ride altogether. We are also very strong on the engine side, and I know that KTM never rest in their efforts to find even more horsepower, which is especially good for me because I weigh 61 kg and many of my opponents are much lighter! Our only real problem for this race was to find a suitable front tyre. We spent quite some time yesterday trying different compounds, but today, we solved this problem, and now, we are ready to race!"
Pablo Nieto (Onde 2000 KTM 125)
"I can't be happy with my grid position, but I'm happy with our progress. You simply can't shave three seconds off your lap time at once," said Nieto.
Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125)
"We've been in trouble in the tests but right in time, we've managed to turn a page and to get back on track. Whereas today's free practice session still didn't go according to plan, we finally found good set-up in final qualifying that gave me the confidence that I've been missing. I'm only 25th on the gird, but I've got a good feeling for tomorrow. A little more fine tuning in the warm-up session, then I should be able to flick the switch to "go" and speed up in the race!"
Results Qualifying Practice 2
1. Bradley Smith Britain Aprilia
2. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia
3. Mike De Meglio, France, Derbi
4. Scott Redding, Britain, Aprilia
5. Raffaele De Rosa, Onde 2000 KTM
9. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125 cc
13. Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM
19. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran
24. Randy Krummenacher, Red Bull KTM 125
32 Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran
Timetable for Race Night - Sunday 9th March (Local time)
- 17.40 - 18.00 125 Warm-Up
- 20.00 125 RACE (18 laps)
Images - Kirn F. (KTM)
