The KTM rider suffered at Sepang but managed to progress slightly in the race, enough at least to enter the top 15 and leave with a little satisfaction.
The Malaysian Grand Prix was very complicated for Mika Kallio and for KTM in general. If his teammate Pol Espargaró managed to stay in the top 15 in practice and come back in the race to get an 11th position, the Finn suffered throughout the weekend.
Still in the last places in the standings, he tested ideas from the Austrian brand to try to resolve the problems encountered during the test sessions. These seem to have worked for Espargaró but not really for him since he qualified in 20th position.
Having nevertheless made a good start, he was able to catch up in the race to score the point for 15th place. A little satisfaction after a difficult weekend.
“If we think back to the feeling we had, it was a little better yesterday but we still had a lot of difficulty”, he commented. “For my part, the concern was really to get the most out of the tires. I started the race quite well, I managed to gain a few places and catch up with the group where Pol was but I didn't have much chance of staying there. I was losing a lot of time in the fast sections and in the corners. I just couldn't keep up with them and that's a shame. »
“Now we go to Valencia and it's always good to end the season in a good way, at least we hope so. » Kallio will indeed complete his last Grand Prix there as a starting driver since he will give way to Brad Binder to resume his role as test driver next season.
MotoGP Malaysia Sepang J3: classification
Classification credit: MotoGP
