Kallio set the pace in FP2 - strong start for the weekend

Mika Kallio had high expectations towards the Sachsenring GP, and this time his plan seems to be working as desired, right from day one. The Finn was fastest in the second free practices session of Friday, scoring third in the the combined practice times. Kallio was happy with the result, but still aims to improve his lap time along the weekend. 

-We have a good situation, as we are not too far from the fast laps of last year, and this is achieved already during the first day. We have ample time to work with the bike and to polish our strategy before the race. I am more than satisfied with the result, but I have to admit that the feeling with the bike is not nearly as good as I would hope, Kallio exclaimed . 

The first free practice of Friday was challenging for Kallio, as the opening laps were done by using settings preferred by the rider last year. This choice proved unsuccessful and for the following session Kallio and his team confided to the settings of the two previous GP’s. This worked and when the second practice was temporarily red-flagged due to Azlan Shah’s crash, an additional maintenance break was offered while the pieces of Shah’s damaged bike were cleared off the track. 

-For the afternoon we decided to try a longer wheel base and hence removed some grip from the rear. This helped with the issues of the front and I started to make better lap times. About six minutes to the finish, the session was red-flagged, and due to an extra pit-stop we were able to adjust the bike a bit more. We added some extra weight to the front and this made quite the difference, as I felt that riding was easier immediately. During the last two laps my pace was really good and it’s a shame that the huge traffic in the corners slowed me down somewhat. I managed to top the charts for the afternoon, but lost a few tenths in the corners. I am anyhow relieved and happy to head towards tomorrow with these results, Kallio continued. 

The top five riders of FP2 were all within one tenth of a second of each other, so the competition is fierce again this weekend. The Sachsenring track is the shortest of the MotoGP tour, only a mere 3.7 kilometres long. This is why small gaps make a big difference and the time differences between riders are tiny. Qualifying practice plays a big role on this track and Kallio has a clear target for Saturday. 

-This track is typically one with extremely small time differences and it has gotten even more tighter than last year. We have to improve a lot for tomorrow in order to secure a good result for qualifying. The first two sectors of the track are so slow, that it is crucial to get ahead of the long line in the race before the front guys disappear from view. My definite goal is to make the it to the front three rows in qualifying, but I aim for the top for sure, a determined Kallio finished with a smile.

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