TALMACSI AND KALLIO IN ONE-TWO FINISH AT QATAR
01 October 2005 - KTM-Sportmotorcycles AG

Hungarian rider Gabor Talmacsi won the Qatar Grand Prix in a controversial photo-finish ahead of Red Bull KTM teammate Mika Kallio at the Losail Circuit today.

Kallio had led every lap but was surprised when, in the final ten metres, Talmacsi pulled out of his slipstream and snatched victory, his third of the season.

With Kallio locked in a very close battle for the world championship, the KTM team had decided before the race that Kallio would have the support of teammates Talmacsi and Julian Simon to help boost his bid for the title.

Kallio’s main rival for the title is Thomas Luthi, who finished a distant sixth today, had started the Qatar GP with an eight point advantage. KTM had decided on the pre-race plan to support Kallio with just four races remaining.

Talmacsi’s unexpected victory cost Kallio five points, the difference between first and second, in the championship.

After this race Kallio now leads Luthi by just two points with Talmacsi a further 45 points behind in third place. Kallio had qualified on pole position and he dominated the race with Talmacsi cruising along behind in his slipstream for all 18 laps. Until ten metres from the finish.

On the final lap Kallio understood that Talmacsi would stay behind and did not force the pace and risk crashing.

At the finish, Talmacsi and Kallio were nine seconds ahead of Marco Simoncelli in third place.

Simon, also on a KTM, was briefly third on the opening lap but slipped back to finish eight in the chasing pack of riders. The race was run in heat wave conditions with track temperatures of 48 degrees.

GABOR TALMACSI #14 - First - Championship : Third/ 156 points

“The problem was I didn’t know this was the last lap, my pit board was correct but the main board at the finish tower was wrong, I thought there was one more lap to go. I’m a racer and I was close to the front and I had a slipstream and I was little faster on the straight, and when I pulled out the chequered flag came very fast and I didn’t realise it was the finish. During the race my tyre performance went down and for sure Mika had a little faster pace than me and he still has a good chance for the title.”

MIKA KALLIO #36 - Second - Championship : First/ 201 points

“I’m very angry, this was a stupid move by Gabor. On the last lap I knew Gabor was behind me, as he had been all race, but I did not push because I knew that he should come second and that we would take no risks to crash. But then ten meters from the flag he passed me. This has cost me five points in the championship now I just have think about the future and what is possible over the final three races.”

JULIAN SIMON #60 - Championship: Seventh/ 115 points

“I made a good start and was behind Mika and Gabor on the first lap but when I tried overtake Gabor we touched and I ran wide and lost some time. Then I slipped back to the main group, there were six riders and a lot of overtaking. I’m not very happy with eighth, but the bike was good and I’m hoping to do better at the next race.”

Harald Bartol - Technical and Managing Director

“I am not happy at all. This was not a very clever move by Gabor, this could cost us dearly in the championship at the end of the season. Before the race I spoke to Gabor and Julián and made it clear that if they were in front with Mika, then they had to race to support Mika in the championship, but this did not happen from Gabor.”

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