Mika Kallio wins in the wet in Shanghai to extend lead in 250cc World Championship

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Mika Kallio announced before the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai that he would be riding to protect his lead in the 250cc road racing standings and fighting for a second win of the season.
      His intentions panned out perfectly, and after his victory Kallio saw his lead in the World Championship table increased to a healthy 21 points.
     
Matters were further improved for the KTM rider by the fact that one of his main rivals for the season, Spain's Alvaro Bautista (the winner in Portugal last time out after a couple of early setbacks), slid off the track on the eighth lap, leaving Kallio out in front and with no serious challengers.
      The Austrian KTM team had an ideal weekend, as Kallio's Japanese teammate Hiroshi Aoyama brought his bike home in second spot, 3.2 seconds behind the Finn.
     
Kallio has enjoyed a great start to the season, with podium finishes in all four races, including two wins.
      He handled the awkward wet-dry-wet conditions in Shanghai admirably, and was fully worth his win.
      While the dangerous and improving Bautista went out, the second man in the table Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) kept up his challenge with a slightly fortunate third-place finish, after Yuki Takahashi suddenly hit technical problems on his Honda on the final bend to gift the Italian a spot on the podium.
     
Kallio now has 82 points, with Pasini on 61, and Hector Barbera of Spain (Aprilia) in third on 49. Takahashi did his fortunes no harm at all on Sunday, and climbed up to 4th place in the rankings.
      There is a long way to go in the 17-race season, but Kallio will be optimistic of more success going into the next GP, at Le Mans in France two weeks hence.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kallio´s third place in Estoril puts him at top of 250cc riders´ table (14.4.2008)

Links:
  Moto GP
  Red Bull KTM Racing

Helsingin Sanomat