Kallio in top shape at Phillip Island - 5th place in Saturday’s qualifying

Moto2-rider Mika Kallio shone bright at the track of Phillip Island, Australia in Saturday’s qualifying session. Kallio performed his best qualifying of the season, ending up in 5th place and a mere 0,4 seconds short of pole setter Alex Rins. Regarding the past results of the year, Kallio did great and demonstrated continuous improvements on track. After signing with QMMF, Kallio’s pace is starting to look up and the man himself is happy with the second row place on the start grid. 

-It feels so good to be back on my own level and the whole team should be satisfied with their efforts. We have progressed with finding suitable settings quite rapidly and the bike has improved steadily. It feels amazing when the bike starts to act as it should and I can be confident again, Kallio commented happily. 

-The qualifying practice was successful, because my fastest lap was not a single, lucky bit, but I was quite consistent on the bike and clocked several good laps in a row. I did not get the slipstream advantage either, so the times in my case are a demonstration of promising race pace. We focused on ensuring tyre performance and endurance and performed only minor adjustments to the bike from this morning. For tomorrow we will consider changing the overall gearing a bit, but we need to check the weather conditions first. It is quite windy here in Phillip Island and we need to make sure the bike accelerates at a best possible level. I am a bit concerned of how the rear tyre will last during tomorrow’s race, but I hope I can fight till the end. I am sure others face the same issue, so the race is on until the very last laps, Kallio added. 

Succeeding in qualifying practices for the first time this season means a lot to experienced rider Kallio, who has struggled with technical issues and lack of trust towards the bike throughout the year. In order to fight for the top positions in the extremely even-levelled Moto2-class, the rider needs to possess a solid trust towards the bike and himself as well. 

-All good days are important for me at this point, because the year has been quite horrible. Satisfying results improve motivation, self confidence and the overall spirit. When all goes well like this, I can take more risks and ride on the limits. I believe everything is ready for tomorrow, so let’s hope for a nice weather and a raging start, Kallio finished.

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