Lack of grip ruined Kallio’s practice in Brno

The first free practices of Friday in the Czech GP were not enjoyable for Moto2 rider Mika Kallio. During the sessions he noticed immediately that the old grip problem had returned and there was no feel to the bike’s front. This was disappointing for the whole crew, as Kallio and his team, Italtrans, had done a good job in both Sachsenring and Indianapolis during the preceding GP’s. The difference between race tracks plays a big role with the technical difficulties encountered by Kallio, as it seems that his grip problems magnify on tracks with naturally strong grip. While the other riders enjoy the track’s grip, Kallio struggles with his tyres. 

-Our problems are worse than ever this season here at the Brno track. I knew making the front work is a key thing for success on this track, but I was not expecting such a radical drop in our pace. The lack of tyre grip affects the behaviour of the whole bike. I am not able to enter corners properly, and am forced to keep the bike down longer than necessary in exits. It kills me that the front problem is back, because in the previous races we were fighting for really good positions. It became clear instantly during FP1, that we are not going to be competitive this weekend, and it is a great shame. It does not matter whether we use a soft or hard rear tyre, the problems are present anyhow, Kallio sighed. 

Kallio pondered previously how much the front’s behaviour will affect his performance in the Czech GP, but unfortunately the lousiest possible scenario came to effect instantly during the first practice session. 

-In Indianapolis the track profile offered an advantage for us and I was able to turn the bike more when entering corners. We need to perform radical changes to the bike’s settings here in Brno, as riding like this is useless. We will play with the balance of the bike and shift some more weight towards the front. I suspect we will not reach the results of Indianapolis, but I did not come here to give up, Kallio finished. 

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