Mika Kallio satisfied with final day of Valencia tests

The test season of 2015 commenced in Valencia this week for the Moto2 pilot Mika Kallio. The three-day tests which begun on Tuesday offered the riders their first possibility to familiarize themselves with new set-ups and get back on track after the long winter break. For Kallio and his new team Italtrans, the biggest challenges were in finding the right feeling and correct adjustments with the new Kalex 2015 bike. The lousy weather provided an additional challenge and Kallio finally ended on position 15 in the combined results of the week, 1,6 seconds after the fastest man of the week, Johann Zarco of Ajo Motorsport. 

 

-During the first two days we were a bit lost and I really struggled to find a good grip. We tried several adjustments to the bike, but I was not able to trust it at all and the poor weather did not help, Kallio declared. 

 

-The last day of testing, though, was a lot better and towards the end I started feeling more confident with the bike. We found the right way with the settings and were able to enhance the grip especially on the front. The last sessions were run in pouring rain, so the times are not comparable to the ones of Tuesday and Wednesday. 

 

Apart from needing to adjust to the new bike, Kallio is also facing the challenge of acquainting himself to a new team and its staff. Before the race season begins, he is looking forward to spending many valuable working hours with his new chief mechanic, Antonio Jimenez. 

 

-It always takes a while to get to know the people you work with, to be able to communicate and understand each other in the best possible way. The bike is new to both of us and in order to perform at our highest level, we need to get the co-operation seamless with both each other and the bike. These things develop with time and the test sessions in Valencia showed that we are definitely on the right track, a content Kallio stated.  

 

The vice world champion of Moto2 from last year is already looking forward the next tests in Jerez, which is a track more to his personal liking than the Ricardo Tormo track in Valencia. 

 

-I wait for the Jerez tests with great interest and enthusiasm, because now we have found the right direction in towards which to improve the settings of the bike and besides I have always liked the Jerez race track. If you get your settings to the exact right level there, they are quite usable on other tracks too in the future. 

 

The next Moto2 tests of season 2015 will take place in Jerez, Spain on February 17th-19th.