RED BULL KTM TEAM DOMINATE ASSEN QUALIFYING
24 June 2005 - KTM-Sportmotorcycles AG

With a near-perfect team performance Red Bull KTM riders Mika Kallio and Gabor Talmacsi have qualified 1-2 on the grid for tomorrow’s Dutch TT at Assen.

In heat wave conditions, with track temperatures soaring above 46 degrees, the KTM squad set a blistering pace at the 5.9 km Assen track.

Flying Finn Kallio confirmed his status as the man to beat in the 17 lap race by claiming his fifth pole position of the season. Kallio improved his best time by almost one second from yesterday’s first qualifying session.

With a stunning average speed of 163 kph Kallio secured pole position with 30 seconds remaining. He then set-off on his final fast lap with teammate Talmacsi tucking-in for a slipstream tow.

In a breathtaking performance the Red Bull KTM pair rode with precision and speed to go even faster and confirm the top two positions on the front row.

The Assen circuit has been revised with a new back straight chicane this year so Kallio’s time of 2’11.855 is new qualifying record. Kallio and Talmacsi have a margin of more than 0.4s over third fastest qualifier Mattia Pasini.

Spanish young gun Julian Simon qualified his Red Bull KTM in tenth place after failing to improve his time from yesterday’s first qualifying session. Simon was caught out by heavy traffic as 40 riders jammed the Assen circuit in final qualifying.

With an improved performance Red Bull ADAC KTM Junior team rider Michael Ranseder qualified 17th with a time that was 1.2s faster than yesterday.

Just two points separate the top three riders in the championship going into the seventh round at Assen. Kallio is in third place on 82 points, right behind Pasini (84) and Thomas Luthi (83).

MIKA KALLIO #36 - First - 2’11.855

“I’m very happy, we have a very good set-up for the race and I tested both hard and soft compound tyres this afternoon. I was able to do my two fastest times right at the end of the session and it was no problem to give Gabor a tow. One-two for KTM is perfect. The conditions are difficult and I would prefer if it was a little cooler for the race but we are ready.”

GABOR TALMACSI #14 - Second - 2’11.915

“I could not do this time alone so thanks to Mika for the tow, he is a little faster than me at this track. I waited for Mika at the end and thought my tyre may have cooled down too much but it was OK for a fast lap. We are ready with a very good set-up and I will try and improve my rhythm for the race.”

JULIAN SIMON #60 - Tenth - 2’13.403

“I’m disappointed, I just did not get a clear run and spent too much time waiting for a tow. There were big groups of riders and a lot of traffic. The bike is good, I’m hoping to do a much better race than qualifying.”

MICHAEL RANSEDER #76 - Seventeenth - 2’13.991

“Overall I’m happy but I just ran out of time and there was a lot of traffic; I would have liked a few more laps. This is my first time on the full Assen GP circuit and this morning I had some set-up problems with the front forks but the bike was better in the afternoon.”

HARALD BARTOL - Technical and Managing Director

“A very good result by Mika and Gabor, now I just hope the weather stays the same for the race, our bike and tyre combination is very good. Gabor got a very nice tow from Mika to give us 1-2 on the grid. I am sure Julian will race stronger than he qualified, he waited too long for the wrong riders to get a good tow and a clear lap.”

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