PODIUM FOR AOYAMA
17 October 2006 - KTM-Sportmotorcycles AG

RR WCH 250 16th round: Grand Prix of Portugal / Estoril Rennen

KTM rider Hero“ Hiroshi Aoyama came in second in the penultimate Grand Prix of the season on Sunday on the Estoril circuit in Portugal to pick up his seventh podium so far this season. In recent races, Hiroshi was third in Australia then won his home race in Japan. Now with the second place in Portugal, the 24-year-old Japanese confirms the performance of the Red Bull KTM GP 250 project.

After 26 thrilling laps during which the Japanese KTM rider once again underlined his superb riding skills, Hiroshi had to concede defeat in the home straight by just 1.5 hundredths of a second to finish in an excellent second. The result is his seventh podium for the current racing season. Meanwhile Aoyama has declared that his goal for the season is to finish third in the riders classification. To achieve this he has to make up another 10 points over Alex de Angelis with just one race to go.

The second Red Bull KTM GP 250 rider, Manuel Poggiali from San Marino, was able to make up three places at the start and went through the race with a group of hard-fighting riders. Positions were juggled in the final lap and Manuel Poggiali was able to make up another two places to cross the line at place 12.

Hiroshi Aoyama #4 Red Bull KTM GP 250 – 2nd Place
“I’m very satisfied with this second place today. My start was ok, but then I made a mistake on the brake and was fifth going across the finish line for the first time. Then I made my way up to fourth and was battling with the other guys. After the middle of the race I pushed harder and tried to get into first or second position for the final laps. My plan was to stay second as I couldn’t get away from Dovizioso but I thought I could catch him coming out of the last corner going into the final straight. I didn’t come out of the corner as well as Dovizioso and I missed first place by just 1.5 hundredths of a second. It was really a good race and our bike was very competitive. After the summer break it looks like we are even more competitive than we were in the first half of the season. Since then the machine, the mechanics and the motivation has been on the up – even though it has always been good. I’m looking forward to the final round at Valencia, were I usually do very well. To finish the championship third overall is my goal and this would be a good way to thank my team and all of our partners and supporters.”

Circuit: Dry / 23°C
Air Temperature: 20°C
Humidity: 70%

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