Kallio goes for broke with new chassis ahead of Misano GP

KTM Technical Director Harald Bartol had planned to test the new development on Monday after the race, but since the test was cancelled, Kallio decided to take the risk and try out the new chassis straight away. The 25-year-old Finn immediately noticed improved handling characteristics and better corner speed but still reports some traction problems on the corner exits. He eventually had to settle for tenth grid position. Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama was fastest KTM rider in fifth place, closely followed by Spanish Repsol KTM rider Julian Simon in seventh position.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Red Bull KTM 250 - Fifth in 1:38.869)
"We started this weekend with a completely different set-up compared to the last race in Brno two weeks ago, but it worked straight away and I was consistently fast from the first practice session. We tried to further improve things this afternoon with different springs for the front fork, but it seems that the bike steered a little easier before, so we might go back to our previous set-up for the race. I just missed out on a front row start by a fraction of a second which is a pity, but I still feel confident for the race. I hope to get a good start, because my aim is to hang on to the front group of riders and to stop anybody from getting away!"

Julian Simon (Repsol KTM 250 - Seventh in 1:39.009)
"We worked very well today and managed to fine-tune our set-up. My aim was to cut the gap to the fastest guys with a really strong final run in qualifying. Then I ran into traffic and got held up by another rider in the last section of the track, which spoiled my lap time. But we're running at a good pace, we're well prepared for the race tomorrow, my team is doing an excellent job and we really want to go out and do well in the race!"

Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM 250 - Tenth in 1:39.165)
"We knew we wouldn't be able to get anything more out of the old chassis than we had managed in recent races sp we took the risk and tried a completely new chassis for this race. There are definitely a lot of positive aspects about this frame, but there are also some negative things that we still need to sort out. The good thing is that the new bike is easier to handle and faster in direction changes. But the overall grip level, on front and rear, seems to be a little bit lower. That's our main problem at the moment. If you don't get enough feedback and a complete feeling of confidence from your tyres, it's difficult to push. Now we have to decide whether to continue with the new chassis tomorrow or go back to the old bike!"

Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"The improvements with Mika's new chassis are clearly visible in some of the corners, but it's also a fact that we're still struggling in some other areas. We are a little bit down on engine power at the moment we have a smaller air box with the new chassis. And we're still working on a new fuel tank design to compensate for that. It was Mika's decision to take the risk and try out the new chassis in a race this early. That's completely understandable because he wants to pull all stops in our hunt for the world title. It's now up to us to find the set-up solutions that will enable him to be fully competitive in the race tomorrow!"


30.08.2008
Young Marquez leads in the KTM 125's in qualifying at Misano
Spanish teenager and Repsol rider Marc Marquez was fastest KTM rider on the Misano circuit on Saturday ahead of the 125 cc GP of San Marino.
Local hero Raffaele de Rosa from Team Onde 2000 KTM qualified in fifteenth place while German Wild Card rookie Jonas Folger improved steadily in all practice sessions to take twenty eighth on the grid in only his second Grand Prix. Red Bull KTM rider Randy Krummenacher suffered when some changes on the set-up of his bike didn't go according to plan. He was bitterly disappointed to cross the line back in thirty seventh place.

Marc Marquez (Repsol KTM 125 - eighth in 1:44.668)
"We were a little bit down on engine power in the heat today but other than that, everything went according to plan. We managed to steadily improve our set-up and I feel good and comfortable on the bike. I'm really looking forward to the race tomorrow!"

Raffaele de Rosa (Onde 2000 KTM 125 - fifteenth in 1:45.324)
"We suffered a bit with the heat today. The water temperature rose much higher than it should have. But there's nothing to worry about because we'll be able to adjust our cooling system to the summer heat for the race tomorrow. Our chassis set-up is so good that we hardly make any changes from one race to the next. We're also sure about tyre choice and that our tyres will last race distance. I'm confident for the race tomorrow and hope for a good position in the top ten!"

Jonas Folger (Red Bull MotoGP Academy 125 - twenty eighth in 1:46.341)
"I've never been on this race track before and I managed to steadily improve from the first practice to final qualifying so I'm quite happy with my position on the grid. I'm also getting used to riding with the world's best and it doesn't make me nervous any more. I treat it just as another race and I am having lots of fun. My aim is to make it to the chequered flag tomorrow!"

Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125 - thirty seventh in 1:47.100)
"We had a good morning and seemed to be going the right direction with the set-up for this afternoon's final qualifying. I hoped to be able to improve by another second. Then we would have more or less been on the pace. But things didn't go according to plan. We changed something on the set-up of the bike, and I wasn't able to push at all.