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Tomoyoshi Koyama and Randy Krummenacher gave the MotoGP 125 cc race a splash of orange on Saturday to spark a full scale celebration for the Red Bull KTM Racing team at the Grand Prix of Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. The effusive young Japanese rider celebrated his first top podium with a near perfect tactical race, slipping into the lead in the closing stages of the 22-lap race to seal victory by just four hundredths of a second. Koyama, 24, with three years of Grand Prix experience pushed his way to the front of the pack with some truly heart-stopping braking maneuvers, first squeezing past his team-mate and finally masterfully defeating world championship leader Gabor Talmacsi, the eventual second placer.
Young American Steve Bonsey, third rider of KTM's 125 cc line-up, also had a brilliant start into the race and held twenty fourth position, but crashed out of the race in the second lap.
"What an incredible finish to a difficult weekend. After being down in 22nd position in first qualifying on Friday afternoon, I never dreamt that I could have such a race result. But we made good progress with the bike set-up in every practice session. Lifting the front fork up a bit made all the difference in terms of rear wheel traction and handling of the bike," Koyama said.
The Japanese rider said his engine performed flawlessly, his bike went perfectly into the corners and was very stable on the brakes. "I could attack my rivals one by one at the end of the straights," Koyama said. "Of course it was still a very tough fight, it was very hot out there and from mid-race on, I was sliding, sliding, everywhere. But I maintained my rhythm and my concentration and gave it a 100 percent in the last lap once again to stay ahead of Talmacsi."
For the Swiss teenager Krummenacher, in his first GP season, it was a near perfect day. He took the lead from Spaniard Sergio Gadea with four laps to go and was more than satisfied to register his eventual third place. His career best sealed a great race for the KTM 125FRR machines, riders and the entire team of the Austrian manufacturer.
"I had a really good start. I found myself in the second group of riders straight away and I realised I could go even faster," Krummenacher said. "The other riders were sliding a lot on the rear, whereas I had a lot of traction, thanks to a soft tyre compound that Konrad Hefele, my crew chief had recommended."
Krummenacher added that when he got into the front group he tried not to think about who he was riding against and just tried to keep his concentration and avoid any mistakes. "When I crossed the line in third place I was so happy I screamed out loud under my helmet. I always believed that one day I would have the chance to make a podium finish, but I never thought it would happen this weekend. Everything worked perfectly - my engine ran fast and smoothly, the chassis and suspension settings were flawless and I had a lot of grip!"
Koyama and Krummenacher both deprived two home town Spanish competitors of a place on the podium, riding in front of a massive 107,000 fans.
Results
1. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, KTM, 41:06.339
1. Gabor Talmacsi, Hungary, Aprilia, 41:06.388
3. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, KTM, 41:06.470
4. Sergio Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 41:06.839
5. Pol Espargaro, Spain, Aprilia, 41:08.420
Steve Bonsey DNF Foto: KTM |
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