Kallio 18th in Jerez qualifying - frustration peak reached

The qualifying practice of the Jerez Grand Prix was a major setback for last year’s GP winner, Mika Kallio. Kallio and his team have faced severe issues with the set up of the new Kalex and at no point during the weekend have they reached a moment when the bike would have behaved as expected. The result for the speedy Finn, who also claimed pole position last year in Jerez, was a disappointing 18th place with a 0.969 gap to the fastest man of the day, Tito Rabat. 

-We could not have made a worse performance, considering what we came here for. The lap times are a light year away from the the pole position times I clocked last year and we are really struggling with the set ups of the bike. I am really, really disappointed, sighed Kallio after qualifying.

-In addition, there was nothing positive about this day , we also failed miserably in the free practice this morning. We tried dramatic changes once again before qualifying, but it for sure did not work out. Finally we were forced to return to the settings of yesterday, and the results are shown on the screen. I have a bad feeling concerning the race tomorrow; I will try my all but the bike will not change overnight. This is a catastrophic situation in my opinion, Kallio continued. 

 Kallio has faced difficulties throughout the season, but has managed to stay afloat somehow due to his traditionally good race pace. This time Kallio knows that it will not be enough alone, as the familiar track of Jerez shows no mercy for struggling riders. 

 -Due to the nature of the previous tracks, I have been able to use my previous experience and tricks learned throughout the years to enhance my position quickly in the race. In Jerez this is not so easy, as all riders know the track by heart and I am not able to perform unpredicted overtakes in the same way. Besides when you start at the back of the grid, the lead group disappears out of reach very quickly no matter what, Kallio explained. 

 The issues with the new bike have followed Kallio for a long time, and he’s yet to find balance with the 2015 chassis. 

 -For some reason, every single lap with this bike has been a massive struggle. We have never managed to adjust the front for my liking and when you suffer from lack of confidence with the bike, it is visible from the results what happens. I have not been able to benefit from my own technique and strengths, but have tried furiously to change my riding style to suit the bike. Well, it’s not working. We can see that on every single track; I am everywhere a whole second slower than last year. This is horrific, Kallio gasped. 

 Kallio does not expect the race to be easy either. 

 -Now that we are in a situation where there is practically nothing to lose, we will continue with the radical changes for tomorrows warm up. We know that the race will not offer good moments with this set up ad we can forget about the podium celebrations, but I will try to finish the race decently and gather some important points, Kallio finished. 

 

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