Satisfied Mika will start from the front row at Phillip Island

Mika Kallio is determined to keep his championship hopes alive by beating his Rabat in tomorrow’s Australian Moto2 Grand Prix. The 31-year-old Finn will start from the race from the front row of the grid, after bouncing back from two big crashes yesterday to claim third position, just 0.2s off the time of his teammate Esteve "Tito" Rabat, in this afternoon’s 45-minute qualifying session.

Mika Kallio // 3rd // 1’32.698
“I think we can be satisfied today, for two reasons. Firstly, we found a better setting for the bike, mainly for the front and, secondly, but we also found a little bit more grip from the rear tyre. We saw in free practice that it takes around six or seven laps before the tyres are working at their best, so we decided to stay out for the whole of qualifying on one set, which proved to be the right decision. For this reason, in the race we will need to be a little cautious in the opening laps, until the tyres start to work properly, as it would be easy to make a mistake. I have to beat Tito tomorrow to keep the championship alive but it won’t be easy, because he’s riding well with no mistakes, but the difference is only two-tenths, so let’s see. It will be an interesting race I think!”

Photo: Gold and Goose Photography

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