Kallio pleased with debut result
Added on Thursday, April 16th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Kallio pleased with debut result
MotoGP rookie Mika Kallio gave the Pramac Ducati team plenty of reason to be optimistic at Monday’s Qatar Grand Prix after an impressive top eight finish on his premier class debut.
Kallio gave the privateer Ducati team a welcome boost following a disastrous 2008 in which Sylvain Guintoli and Toni Elias failed to grasp the Desmosedici, yielding just four top-ten finishes all season.
With both of those riders moving on to pastures new, Pramac brought in two rookie riders with 250cc rider Kallio working alongside former Ducati test rider Niccolo Canepa.
And Kallio appears to have had little trouble in adapting to the step up to Grand Prix racing, after an strong set of results in testing culminated in a promising performance at Losail.
“Before coming here I thought that if I would have finished in the top ten I would have been satisfied,” said the Finnish rider. “The eight position is therefore a really good result.
“I didn’t manage to start in the best way, but I have maintained a good rhythm. I tried to catch the group in front of me, but after a few laps I thought to keep my rhythm and this strategy paid off.
“In the last laps I was seeing Vermeulen closer and closer and I think that if I would have had a couple of more laps I could have pass him. Anyway in general we had a positive weekend and we will try to continue on this direction in the next appointment in Japan.”
His teammate Canepa, however, didn’t fare quite so well, qualifying on the back row in 18th and only making up a single place to 17th when Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi retired.
“I hoped to do better to be honest, but it has been a difficult weekend since the first session and we couldn’t expect a miracle for the race. In the last laps I made it to stay with Toseland and I learnt many things. We will try to improve our performances in Japan even if it will be the first time for me in Japan, but I will surely be more aggressive because it is what I need.”
