AOYAMA TAKES THIRD
22 August 2006 - KTM-Sportmotorcycles AG

RR WCH 250 Round 12

KTM rider Hiroshi Aoyama rounded up an excellent weekend for his team when he rode the 250 class race to third position to take KTM’s second podium in two races on the Brno circuit Sunday. Earlier Mika Kallio was second in the 125 class.

The Japanese rider, racing in his 50th Grand Prix, was outfoxed for second place in the final stretch by Italian Andrea Dovizioso, just before going through the checkered flag.

Aoyama started from third spot on the grid and was well in contention for a podium right from the start of the race. With five laps to go, he was still sticking close to the wheel of leading rider Jorge Lorenzo until the Spaniard managed to slip away. Aoyama then held tenaciously onto second place lap after lap but with the Italian Dovizioso right on his wheel. Just before they crossed the line, Aoyama lost the advantage and had to settle for third place.

The result gave KTM (and Aoyama) their fourth 250 podium place for the season. The Japanese rider has won one race and has three third places to his credit. Aoyama is now fourth in the standings for the current season with 132 points.

KTM’s second competing rider, Manuel Poggiali started at 12th place on the grid but experienced some technical difficulties in the first lap and had to withdraw. Work was ongoing by the Red Bull KTM GP 250 Team to establish the reason for the technical problems that Poggiali experienced.

The race was run under near perfect conditions on a circuit that winds through the rolling hills of this Czech countryside, offering plenty of challenges for the riders through a multitude of left and right corners.

Hiroshi Aoyama #4 Red Bull KTM GP 250 – 3rd place
“I had a good start and I planned to lead the race but then de Angelis was riding aggressively and when he passed me I thought I should keep some distance and overtake him safely. Then he crashed out and I tried to close up the gap but I was just not close enough to be able to do it. My KTM is working really well. We have installed a new fuel injection system and this is going well, even though we are still working on it. I want to thank my team because they did a great job for me.”

Stefan Pierer CEO KTM
“The results in the 250 class in our first year of competition have been wide and above our pre-season expectations and we are very satisfied with the team’s performance. These results today confirmed that we are on the right track. Hiroshi is a fantastic personality to work with and he did a great job today.”

Circuit: Dry /23°C
Air temperature: 32°C

Picture courtesy of KTM

www.ktm.at

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