Podium finish for Mika in treacherous conditions

Mika Kallio mastered the most treacherous conditions encountered so far this season today, to claim a well deserved third place finish in the Moto2 Dutch TT.

Heavy rain ahead of the race saw the start of the Moto2 Dutch TT delayed for 20 minutes, with the riders eventually starting on wet tyres, as there was standing water on some parts of the circuit, despite the sun and wind conspiring to dry the track rapidly. 

Kallio almost fell victim to a highside in the early stages of the race, but managed to gather the bike up and re-join the race after a brief off track excursion. Although he struggled for grip on a fully wet track, when a dry line appeared at half race distance the 31-year-old Finn forced his way through the field to join the battle for the race lead. In the end he was unable to mount a challenge on eventual race winner, Anthony West, and was forced to settle for third place at the chequered flag.

Mika Kallio // 3rd
“At the start, when the track was completely wet, my feeling with the bike wasn’t good. I didn’t have any grip, but I knew from the part wet practice session in Mugello that, as soon as the track started to dry, the feeling would be better. I nearly didn’t find out, as I almost highsided myself out of the race in the fully wet conditions, but as a dry line started to appear I was able to push much harder and eventually catch the two guys at the front of the race. In the end my lap times were getting quicker, but the same was true of West and Viñales, so I couldn’t find a way past. It’s good to be on the podium, and it means I’ve closed the gap slightly on Tito in the championship, but now we’re starting to see other riders coming strong, like Viñales, so it’s not just Tito I need to keep an eye on. I’m happy with the podium today, as it could have been a very different story in such tricky conditions.”

Michael Bartholemy // Team Principal
“Today’s race was run in the worse conditions imaginable. We had to start on wet tyres, but it was obvious that the track was going to dry out very quickly, which is exactly what happened. Mika rode a clever race; holding off in the wet conditions when he was struggling for grip and then pushing hard once a dry line appeared and his feeling with the bike was better. He did a good job.”

Photo: Gold and Goose Photography

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