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MIKA KALLIO STORM HOME TO SECOND PLACE AT BRNO
Red Bull KTM rider Mika Kallio finished second in a dramatic conclusion to the Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno today. Kallio secured second place with a final corner passing move on Aprilia rival Marco Simoncelli as the 19 lap race ended on a track made slippery by light rain showers. The race was won by Swiss rider Thomas Luthi who now leads Kallio in the world championship standings by just eight points. Kallio’s Red Bull KTM teammates Gabor Talmacsi and Julian Simon finished ninth and tenth respectively after battling the difficult conditions and some minor bike problems. After a fast start Talmacsi dropped back seventh on lap three with clutch problems and then drifted to ninth at the finish as he also battled a lack of rear grip on the slippery track. Kallio was always in the leading group and fought a stirring race long battle with Luthi, Mattia Pasini and Simoncelli. The Finnish ace led on lap eight but made a perfectly timed late race charge to move from third to second on the final lap. Red Bull ADAC KTM Junior riders Michael Ranseder and Stefan Bradl had mixed fortunes. Ranseder charged into eighth place on lap one and then settled in tenth before being the innocent victim of a lap six collision with another rider. In the slippery conditions Bradl was the fastest rider on the track over the final laps and improved by eight positions, from 23rd to 15th, at the finish to score his first world championship point. MIKA KALLIO #36 - Second - Championship: 2nd/ 136 points “It was very important to score points today and although I was trying to win to get second was OK. Luthi was very fast in the final laps and I had some big slides from mid-race. The final four laps were difficult and perhaps the final lap in the rain a little dangerous. I knew I was fast at the final chicane and when Simoncelli made a small mistake I was able to get second.” GABOR TALMACSI #14 - Ninth - Championship: 3rd/ 120 points ”That was the most difficult race of my life, the tyre was destroyed at the end and it was very slippery with the rain on the final lap. Also just after the start I had a problem with the clutch, too much free play, and it was difficult to downshift. The race should have been stopped with the rain but I’m happy to finish and get some points.” JULIAN SIMON #60 - Tenth - Championship: Seventh/ 97 points “I’m not happy with this result. I had some set-up problems and could not ride as fast as I wanted plus there was a lot of rain at the end of the race.” STEFAN BRADL #77- 26th - Championship: 33rd/ 1 point “I made a poor start and then my brake lever was bent after a bump with another rider and I lost some positions. Towards the end my bike was sliding when it started to rain but I didn’t feel the rain and just kept racing and finally scored my first world championship point.” MICHAEL RANSEDER #76 - DNF - Championship: 22nd/ 12 points “I made a good start and could stay with the group and I was really enjoying the race and the fight. But the mudguard on my bike was dislodged in a crash with another rider and got stuck on the radiator and this caused me to crash out of 11th place.”
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