Mika Kallio of the Red Bull KTM 250 team elevated himself into the first row grid in the closing minutes of the second qualifying session in Qatar ahead of the first ever night race in the world championship GP.
In two difficult late-night qualifying sessions, Kallio pushed his bike to the limit to secure his position while Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama, who had steadily improved throughout the previous practice sessions, ran into more difficulties than expected when air and track temperatures dropped and finished in twelvth position. Spain's Julian Simon aboard the Repsol KTM 250, struggled for similar reasons and holds 14th place on the grid.
Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250)
"Mission accomplished! The front row was our goal after finishing sixth in yesterday's first qualifying, and that fact that we've achieved this is certainly better than nothing, and a good result under the circumstances. We have been struggling to find the right settings. The bike just doesn't give me the same feedback as it did in our previous tests at Jerez and at Valencia. The lower track temperatures certainly have something to do with the problem, We've always struggled a bit once temperatures go down. It's hard to pin-point where the problem is exactly, because when I ride a second slower, I still feel as if I am right on the limit. To turn things around, I just kept pushing and pushing, and I was ready to accept whatever would happen. Luckily I managed to stay on, and to secure a good start into this season. I am confident for the race tomorrow, because the start is much earlier when the asphalt is still warm which should help us a lot!"
Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM)
"I expected to improve much more than I did, but in the end, I couldn't do more than I did. I struggled to make the best use of the tyre grip we had, which just wasn't enough to give me confidence. We are now going through all our data and try to find improvements to chassis and suspension set-up. I hope that with better track conditions for the race, the result will be better for us, too!"
KTM Technical Director Harald Bartol
"The conditions out there have been changing rapidly, which made it difficult for everybody. The fact that the race happens almost three hours earlier than qualifying doesn't help. To make our work more efficient, we certainly would have preferred similar starting times."
Results Qualifying Practice 2
1. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia
2. Hector Barbera, Spain, Aprilia
3. Alvaro Bautista, Spain, Aprilia
4. Mika Kallio, Finland, KTM
12. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, KTM
14. Julian Simon, Spain. KTM
Timetable for Race Night - Sunday 9th March (Local time)
- 18.10 - 18.30 250 Warm-Up
- 21.15 - 250 RACE (20 laps)
Images - Kirn F. (KTM)
