Agencies/Phillip Island, Australia


QMMF Racing Team celebrated a landmark result at the Australian Grand Prix yesterday, with both riders storming to top ten results in qualifying for today’s Moto2 race.
Mika Kallio will start in fifth place, while team-mate Julian Simon will start in 10th.
Kallio was only 0.434 seconds off Alex Rins on pole position. The 32-year-old from Finland was not only delighted with his second row position on the grid, but also with his consistency, which made him very confident for the race.
“We can be really, really happy and satisfied. Yesterday I thought it would be good to be in the first three rows on the starting grid and now we are in the second row, which is a really good position to be in for the race. But more than anything, I am happy with our consistency,” said Kallio, who posted a qualifying time of 1:32.957.
He added: “There are many riders that can do one lightning-fast lap, but I was able to repeat competitive times for many laps. It will be a tough race and the main challenge will be to manage the rear tyre so it lasts the distance. I expect the race to be in a group for most of the time and in the last five laps or so, it will be crucial to have some tyre life left.
“It’s tricky because you need to be really fast to be in the front group and at the same time, you have to think about your tyre. Especially on the first laps, you can’t push too much, you have to be smooth and not too aggressive. There are many things to think about, but I’m quite confident that we can handle everything.”
Simon was only three tenths of a second behind Kallio and equally fast in most sections of the track. The only remaining problem for the 28-year-old Spaniard is the high-speed lefthand bend leading to the main straight, where he loses a few fractions of a second in comparison to the other top riders.
“This morning I was stuck with 21st place and this afternoon I moved up to the top ten, so I am happy. I still need to improve my rhythm, because when I’m riding alone, I am not as comfortable as I should be and I can’t do the best times,” said Simon, who posted 1:33.262.
“But we still made big steps forward with the set-up of the bike, especially for qualifying this afternoon. My team-mate Mika Kallio was very strong all weekend and we used some of his information, which was a big help. It’s nice to have good company in the team and to be able to share. My biggest problem is still the last corner of the track, because I don’t reach the right footpeg with my right foot in lefthand turns, and in this high-speed bend I am currently losing about 0.3 seconds. My aim for tomorrow is to have a good start and to concentrate especially well in this last turn, so I don’t lose contact to the other riders. I want to thank the team and the mechanics for their great support,” he added.