Kallio prepares for Phillip Island GP: Track profile predicted to suit bike well

Mika Kallio has begun preparations for the Australian GP and he enters the third last race of the season in positive spirits. The change of teams has done Kallio good and the rider seems relaxed and calm upon facing the season end’s races. 

-I came here with a good feeling, even though we had it a bit rough in Japan the week before. According to QMMF, the track profile of Australia should suite my new Speed Up-bike quite well and I am curious to see if this is prediction is accurate in practice. I hope we are able to get the entity working well and get the full potential out of the bike, Kallio said. 

-The track of Phillip Island, Australia, is one of the fastest on the MotoGP world tour. It differs a huge lot from the track at Motegi where we raced last week. Here in Australia the corners are fast, pace is high and there are less tough braking points. We expect this combination to suit our bike quite well, Kallio continued. 

It is spring time in Australia and the unpredictable weather requires risk taking and precise teamwork in the pits, as days might contain both dry and wet conditions. The first days in Phillip Island have been exceptionally warm and dry, but rain is predicted for the weekend. Kallio is happy with whatever conditions, as the track is new for his Speed Up-bike anyhow. 

-We have experienced a couple of beautiful days this week and the weather seems unusually warm. This is about to change soon, but at least we got a sunny and relaxing day off before the race weekend. We arrived here on Tuesday night and have enjoyed some rare free time before work at the paddock begun today, Kallio commented. 

-There are a few ideas in the air on how to start developing the bike, but we need to respect the limited amount of time we have at our disposal. There are not a lot of possibilities to test in the middle of a race weekend, since we should be able to make some results as well. We will make some changes to the swing arm and rear shock. These adjustments should have quite a large impact on the bike’s behaviour, for better or for worse, Kallio continued. 

The small wrist injury of Misano does not hinder Kallio and he claims to be perfectly healthy and in good shape to take on the demanding weekend. No jet lag is present to distract the rider and the mental side of things is doing well too apart from physical shape. Ability to focus and stay level-headed is extremely important in this field of sports and Kallio emphasises the balance necessary between work and free time, especially during this three week overseas tour. 

-We took a day off on Wednesday and headed out to the local wildlife park, where I made friends with some kangaroos. These special occasions really take your mind off things and help loosen up a bit. We are at the paddocks now for three weeks in a row, so it is better to do some other things too to clear the head during this long bit of travel and work. Nonetheless, I wait eagerly to get back on my bike again and I hope the weekend will be successful for us, Kallio finished.

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