FIM 250cc Grand Prix World Championship Shanghai, China May 4, 2008 Race Results (wet conditions): 1. Mika KALLIO (KTM), 21 laps, 48:12.217 2. Hiroshi AOYAMA (KTM), -3.238 seconds 3. Mattia PASINI (Aprilia), -13.811 4. Marco SIMONCELLI (Gilera), -18.474 5. Alex DEBON (Aprilia), -21.066, crash 6. Hector BARBERA (Aprilia), -25.158 7. Yuki TAKAHASHI (Honda), -29.990 8. Ratthapark WILAIROT (Honda), -39.871 9. Aleix ESPARGARO (Aprilia), -48.344 10. Hector FAUBEL (Aprilia), -55.470 11. Roberto LOCATELLI (Gilera), -55.832 12. Alvaro BAUTISTA (Aprilia), -60.442, crash 13. Eugene LAVERTY (Aprilia), -60.732 14. Fabrizio LAI (Gilera), -96.975 15. Doni Tata PRADITA (Yamaha), -97.080 16. Imre TOTH (Aprilia), -105.018 17. Russel GOMEZ (Aprilia), -133.718 18. Alex BALDOLINI (Aprilia), -7 laps, DNF, crash 19. Julian SIMON (KTM), -16 laps, DNF, retired 20. Thomas LUTHI (Aprilia), -16 laps, DNF, crash 21. Karel ABRAHAM (Aprilia), -17 laps, DNF, crash 22. Lukas PESEK (Aprilia), -19 laps, DNF, retired 23. Manuel POGGIALI (Gilera), -21 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 17 races): 1. Kallio, 82 points 2. Pasini, 61 3. Barbera, 49 4. Takahashi, 46 5. Aoyama, 44 6. Bautista, 39 7. Debon, 34 8. Simoncelli, 33 9. Espargaro, 26 10. Simon, 23 More, from a presss release issued by JiR Team Scot Honda: Great race for Yuki Takahashi complicated by a technical problem Yuki Takahashi once again demonstrated his fighting spirit in today’s 250cc race following on from his difficult qualifying session yesterday. After his crash yesterday afternoon, Yuki started today’s race from 10th on the grid. The JiR Team Scot rider didn’t take any major risks on the wet but drying Tarmac in the early laps and he was able to hang onto the leading group and stay in an excellent third position overall. Then, on the last corner of the last lap, Yuki had a technical problem with the bike causing him to slow down and cross the line in seventh place. Cirano Mularoni Team Manager, JiR Team Scot Yuki demonstrated today how strong he truly is! He was able to ride an aggressive race and also to over-ride his physical problems, which came from his crash yesterday and the stomach complaint he had the day before. He also took the provisional best lap time six laps before the end of the race. I’m sure he gave his maximum as he asked everything of the bike. The technical problem we had makes us unhappy, as it could have been one of our best races. We will now analyse the bike to find out what the problem is.” Yuki Takahashi Rider, JiR Team Scot 250GP HONDA RS250RW 7th Position: 4th fastest lap – 2′ 16.567″ “How unlucky! I’m very sorry for my team as here in China they worked like crazy for me and I was able to ride a very well set up bike. I started well and didn’t push too hard, as I didn’t want to take risks and crash, as the conditions were very difficult. There was a lot of stress in the race as everybody wanted to lead. I saw Kallio try and pull away and I decided to push harder so I wouldn’t lose the leading group. I rode a good, hard race, I was feeling well despite the crash from yesterday and I was able to sit in third position. I was able to use the slipstream on the long straight and was able to maintain a good rhythm, but then on the last corner something stopped working and I slipped down to seventh position.” Gianni Berti Technical Co-ordinator, JiR Team Scot “In practice we were able to set up the bike and our Honda RS250RW had very good performance. I feel our technical package was perfect despite the poor race conditions. I want to say the job done by the team was excellent and if Yuki didn’t crash yesterday he would have started from a better position on grid and maybe then we could have done even better. Let me say Yuki did a fantastic job for us today!” More, from a press release issued by KTM: Double victory for Mika Kallio and Hiroshi Aoyama Red Bull KTM 250 stars Mika Kallio and Hiroshi Aoyama mastered treacherous conditions in today’s wet Grand Prix of China to score a fantastic double victory for KTM. It was the second one-two for the Austrian manufacturer in the 250 cc category after Aoyama won the German Grand Prix last year ahead of his team-mate. Pole-sitter Alvaro Bautista had established an early lead, but when the young Spaniard crashed out on the ninth lap of the race, Kallio had a clear track ahead and rode to a comfortable win despite increasing grip problems on the drying tarmac. With two victories and four podium finishes in four races so far, the Finn extended his world championship lead to a massive 21 points. Aoyama, who tried so hard to catch Kallio that he opened up a gap of no less than 13 seconds to Mattia Pasini in third place, celebrated his first podium finish of the year. Mika Kallio (First) “This is better than perfect! In dry conditions, we were a little behind, but the wet track today helped us. But it certainly wasn’t an easy task. After the start, I watched the situation for a while and saw that there was quite a difference between me and the other guys around me. They were faster in some sections of the track, and I was faster in others, which made it difficult to overtake. Eventually I managed to get past some of the other riders and took second place.” Kallio took the advantage when Bautista crashed and then had to find his own rhythm in the lead before noticing on his pit board that Aoyama was closing the gap. “When the track dried along the fastest line, it got increasingly difficult to control the bike, and when I saw the chequered flag, I was so happy that I stopped at the pit wall to celebrate with my team,” the Finn said. Kallio said he was aware that he and the team had to continue to score points to maintain the lead in the championship. “We have to stick to our strategy of going for victories where possible, but also to settle for safe points where we don’t have a chance to win,” Kallio said, dedicating the victory to his team. Hiroshi Aoyama (Second) “I was only eleventh in practice, and to be able to celebrate my first podium finish today is a fantastic feeling! We made a last-minute adjustment on the starting grid and changed the sprocket because my sixth gear wasn’t tall enough for the back straight. This was certainly the right decision for the race and it allowed me to finish safely without putting excessive strain on the engine. This meant that third and fourth gear were a little too long and it took me quite some time to get up to second place. Mika was far gone by that time, but I still pulled out all stops to catch up with him. It was really difficult because the dry line would destroy the tyre, and I didn’t get enough grip I the wet sections.” Harald Bartol (Technical Director) “What a fantastic day for us. Every victory is a big step towards the title, and when your main opponent fails to score, it is even more valuable! We knew Mika had something up his sleeve for the race, because when he crashed in final practice, he was on a lightning fast lap that never showed in the time sheets. He had a very good set-up also for the wet, and we adapted a few of his settings to Hiroshi’s bike as well, especially the gearing. This turned out to be the golden move. Congratulations to both of them – it simply doesn’t get any better!” Results 1. Mika Kallio, Finland, Red Bull KTM, 48:12.217 2. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan, Red Bull KTM 3. Mattia Pasini, Italy, 4. Marco Simoncelli, Italy, 5. Alex Debon, Spain, Aprilia Julian Simon, Spain, Repsol KTM DNF Standings 1. Mika Kallio, KTM, 82 points 2. Mattia Pasini, 61 3. Hector Barbera, Spain, 49 4. Yuki Takahashi 46 5. Hiroshi Aoyama, KTM 44 Other KTM Riders 10. Julian Simon Repsol KTM 23