In a thrilling final qualifying session for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix, Repsol KTM 250 rider Julian Simon moved up to fourth place, celebrating his first ever front row starting position with his new machine.
The 21-year-old Spanish hero, who graduated as a top GP contender in the official KTM 125 team two years ago, and returned to the Austrian brand after gaining his first year of 250 cc experience in another team, will start alongside star in third position. The 25-year-old Finn, current world championship leader with one victory and three podium finishes in the opening three races of the season, established himself firmly within the top riders in China on the first day of practice, but missed out on an even better practice time when the slid off the track on his last run on softer tyres in today's final qualifying session.
In the 125 cc category, celebrates the early comeback ofThe Swiss teenager had undergone surgery at the Spanish Grand Prix end of March due to a spleen injury, and was not expected to be back on his bike that early. But thanks to many years of hard triathlon training and an exceptional level of fitness, the 18-year-old bounced back from his operation in remarkably short time, and had no physical problems in the four practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix. Only a certain lack of track time after missing two races, and a complicated search for the right set-up of his slowed him on his way to 33rd position on the starting grid. Fastest KTM 125 rider was Spanish star in 13th position, followed by his Italian team-mate in 15th place, who walked away bruised and battered from a painful crash in the last practice session. Japanese ace , normally a firm top ten contender, also crashed in the last session and had to settle for 25th place.
Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 - 3rd in 2.04,402)
"We found a good base very early on here in Shanghai, and were able to concentrate entirely on a race set-up that would enable us to run the entire distance at a fast and consistent pace. Only for my last run in final practice, we mounted softer tyres and tried to further improve our lap times. Obviously, our race set-up didn't match these tyres, because as soon as I tried to push, I lost the front and crashed. It was a harmless fall, nothing much to report, but it stopped me from improving my lap time, which of course I can't be too happy about. As far as the race goes, this little incident shouldn't make any difference - I am on front row, and whatever the weather conditions will be, I will fight tooth and nails for another good result!"
Julian Simon (Repsol KTM 250 - 4th in 2.05,651)
"Like Mika, we concentrated on improving our race set-up rather than going for individual fast laps, and we've made good progress. We tried many different tyres and about 1000 things on chassis and suspension, and at the end, the lap time came in. Of course it is difficult to match Alvaro Bautista's rhythm, but in very few races with KTM, we have achieved a lot, and my first front row start with KTM is certainly a milestone to be happy about. The only damper at the moment is the weather forecast, as it looks as if it's going to rain tomorrow. On a wet tarmac and a track as long as this one, staying fully concentrated for the entire race will be crucial. But I'm confident about our speed and our chances to score a good result!"
Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM - 11th in 2.06,276)
"This morning, we managed to improve our set-up and our lap times, and I expected to be able to continue this way and do even better in the afternoon. We made some more changes to the bike and had high hopes, but the result wasn't as positive as expected - I even ran off the track on one occasion. Now, we have to look again how to improve turning, and how to carry more corner speed. It won't make a big difference to me if it is wet or dry in the race tomorrow, because whatever the conditions will be, my goal is clear: To improve on my position and ride a good race!"
Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125 - 33rd in 2.17,034)
"I spent a week at the Red Bull training centre in the Austrian town of Fuschl at the beginning of April, and my progress was so good that I knew that I was going to be up to the task, and ready to race here in China. During the Portuguese Grand Prix, I gave my team the green light to ship the cargo with my bikes to Shanghai, and now I'm really glad to be here. It feels good to be back with my team and back on the bike, and I have no pain or other physical side-effects which is the good news. The bad news is that I definitely need more track time to make up for missing the last two races. I feel as if I am right on the limit, with the bike sliding on front and rear, and I just can't explain the gap of four seconds to the fastest riders out there - their times seem like witchcraft to me!"
Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"Congratulations to Julian Simon - I always knew about his talent and his speed, it was just a matter of where and when things would come together. I am sure that this front row starting position is a great experience for him and will boost his confidence for the races to come. We are also very happy to see Randy Krummenacher back in action. At the moment, he is trying to regain his speed with long runs and lots of track time, but this will help him only so much - step two is finding back to the aggression and fighting spirit on the race track that made him a world championship racer. Once this sort of adrenalin rush kicks in again, Randy will be back within the top contenders!"
