QMMF Racing Team’s Mika Kallio (right) in action during the Moto2 race at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia yesterday.

Agencies/Sepang, Malaysia


In steaming hot conditions with 35 degree air and 45 degree track temperatures, QMMF Racing Team riders Mika Kallio and Julian Simon finished the Grand Prix of Malaysia in 12th and 25th position respectively.
Kallio battled grip problems throughout the race, but managed to score four valuable world championship points.
“It was more or less like we thought and what my feeling was yesterday. We missed a lot of tyre grip, which is basically the whole story of the day. I expected to be much faster at the beginning, on the opening laps, but we couldn’t do anything. It was frustrating.
“We don’t know why we drop so much on the lap time when the track temperature rises, it seems to be a problem of all Speed Up bikes. I just tried to stay within the points and finish the race. Of course I pushed as much as I could, but it doesn’t reflect on our result. It was difficult even just to stay on the bike,” said Kallio.
Simon had a lightning fast start and was within the group of top riders on the opening lap, but ran off the track after a collision with another rider. He recovered quickly, but lost the front and crashed later on in the race, when he was back battling for points.
“It was an unlucky day and an unlucky overseas trip, because I didn’t score any points and I am very sorry for the team. Today I started very well again, like in the previous race, and I was with the front runners in the first corner. But on the second lap, Corsi entered the last corner too hot, touched me and I went out of the track,” Simon said. “I came back and was in 15th place behind my teammate Mika Kallio, when he ran wide in one corner and I tried to pass him and I lost the front. After the crash, I continued for myself and for the team because they deserved at least a race finish. Now it’s important to focus on the last race at home and to finish the season in the best way possible.
“The analysis of the season is that I am happy with bike. I was always close to top ten in the first half of the year and I was in ninth position overall after the German Grand Prix. Then I lost a lot of points in the second part of the season. But as I said, I am happy about the bike and the team, they did very good work. Now I think about Valencia,” Simon added.