Kallio 16th in combined practice times of Friday in Valencia - “Slim chances”

Moto2-rider Mika Kallio finished 16th in the free practices of Valencia GP this Friday. The well awaited season finale offered no new turns for Kallio, as the familiar front tyre grip issues were present also on this track and the rider was not able to enjoy his practice sessions. Kallio’s best lap was 1,063 seconds slower than swiss rider Tom Luthi’s, who was the fastest man on track. 

-This is our level at the moment. There were no specific issues during the practice sessions, but I have no feel to the front tyre and even though the situation is not as bad as with the Kalex bike, I just can’t work my way around this grip problem, Kallio commented. 

Friday was full of efforts from both Kallio and his team, QMMF, but even though the morning session was not too bad, during the afternoon the last remainders of grip disappeared as the weather became warmer. 

-We made some decisions with the settings direction this morning, but we noticed that no matter which tyres we used, the feeling I had was pretty much the same. If the tyres function normally, there is quite a difference between harder and softer tyres. This time there was no matter which we used, so it means that they are not working in a way they should and the potential is not demonstrated to the fullest, Kallio continued. 

-During the afternoon we changed the balance of the bike and experimented with a shorter bike, but this offered no improvement for us. Finally we decided to return to the settings used in the morning, but unfortunately the warmer weather increased our tyre problems even more, Kallio sighed. 

The final qualifying session of season 2015 will take place on Saturday, but Kallio has no high hopes, even though he is motivated to make a best possible performance. 

-What happens in FP3 in the morning will show where we are compered to others, but it is not going to be an easy day tomorrow. We’ll take it one lap at a time and definitely will not give up, Kallio finished. 

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