Kallio back on course and now seeking more

[Lindsay-GFN]

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The Pramac Racing rider scored his first top-ten result since round two when he placed ninth at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, and is now aiming to regain his full confidence.

Mika Kallio has endured a difficult 2010 season to date but on Sunday the Finn gave a hint of his true potential with a ninth-placed finish at Laguna Seca which suggested that his campaign could be back on track.

The Pramac Racing rider made an impressive start to the season and at Jerez he rose from 17th on the grid to place seventh in the second round race, but a shoulder injury sustained in the following round at Le Mans affected his progress and he struggled for form.

At Laguna Seca however Kallio fought his way up from 15th on the grid to take a well-deserved ninth place, just 0.001s ahead of Loris Capirossi as he showed great determination to recover from falls in the second practice session and qualifying.

“I think it is back to more like we expect,” said Kallio. “Obviously qualifying was not so good because I crashed due to a mistake, and I was really upset. But the start to the race was good and I made up some positions, and I was able to stay ahead and follow the faster guys in front of me. That was good for me because I was able to learn how to tackle this track a bit as well which helped me during the race.”

Kallio is by no means relaxing and sees the finish as the foundation for further results like his one in Spain earlier in the campaign.

“I’m a little bit disappointed because we are still a little bit too far from the front, and my overall feeling with the bike and my confidence is not at the level I want so it’s so difficult to push at the limit all the time,” he concluded.

[Halex]

lindsay, i am also glad to see killio back at the coarse. he really did well in Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix to get the ninth position. but it is not the end he will go further in future