Valencia once again hosts Grand Prix racing’s season finale and after top ten finishes last time out in Malaysia, Mika Kallio and Scott Redding head to Spain determined to end their season on a high with a strong showing in the final race of the year.
Kallio took a season best sixth place finish at Sepang but the flying Finn is determined to break into the top five for the first time at Valencia, a track at which he has won in both the 125cc and 250cc classes previously.
A podium finish has so far eluded Redding this year, but the 18-year-old Marc VDS rider is keen to sign off his 2011 season with a strong showing this weekend in Valencia. Redding took a hard fought fifth place in the final round 12 months ago, a result he is determined to improve upon this time around.
The Valencia circuit is relatively slow-speed, and features a unique layout that was designed with the spectator in mind, as fans enjoy an unrestricted view of almost the entire track from any of the massive grandstands that ring the circuit.
The 14 turns, nine of which are to the left and five to the right, are tightly packed together, meaning that the riders spend most of the lap either cornering or changing direction. This requires a bike set-up to turn quickly, combined with tyres that can withstand the stress of almost constant cornering over full race distance.
As a mark of respect to MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, who was tragically killed in a crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix just over a week ago, Redding and Kallio will run black numbers on their Suter Moto2 machines this weekend at Valencia.
Mika Kallio
“Our trend has been upwards during the last few races, so fighting for a top five finish is a realistic goal this weekend. Of course, I still have a podium finish in mind, and Valencia is the last chance this season, but we’ll have to see how the weekend goes. We have found a good base setting and a good balance on the bike, which means we haven’t had to make so many changes for the last three or four races, so I think we’re in good shape going into the final round. It will be a sombre weekend, after the tragedy that took Marco from us in Malaysia. He was a racer and that’s why, when the helmet goes on at Valencia, we must put last weekend from our minds and race. I think it’s what Marco would expect of us.”
Scott Redding
“It will be tough, but I think a podium is an outside possibility this weekend if everything goes well. We made a big step with the 2012 bike in Malaysia, but there’s still a lot of work to be done on the set-up before it’s completely right. Hopefully we’ll have the chance to improve it further during practice and qualifying, ready for the final race of the season. This weekend isn’t just about the results though; it’s also about paying tribute to Marco. He was one of the most exciting riders we’ve seen in recent years and I hope we can do him proud with an equally exciting Moto2 race this weekend.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager
“It’s fair to say that this season hasn’t delivered what we were expecting in terms of results, but we head to Valencia determined to end the year on a high with two good results for Mika and Scott. It will be a difficult race for everyone in the Grand Prix paddock, coming as it does so soon after the sad loss of Marco Simoncelli, but we need to remain focussed. The best tribute we can pay to Marco is for Mika and Scott to race as hard as he did, and that’s exactly what I expect from both riders this weekend.”
