Kallio predicts two-way 250cc title fight in 2009

Moving up to MotoGP for the 2009 season, Mika Kallio is leaving behind some of his fiercest rivals from the past two seasons in the 250cc class. The Finn was one of the stars of the series in 2007-2008, battling for the World Championship crown with eventual winner Marco Simoncelli, runner-up Alvaro Bautista and a host of other riders over the course of this year. The new Alice Team rider thinks that the category will still play host to some exciting races next year, although he expects this season´s frontrunners to lead the way.

`It will be interesting to see if Simoncelli can perform at the same level as he did this year,´ says Kallio of the man with whom he shared the podium on three occasions in 2008. `I think that we will see a similar season to this one, although of course I hope that Bautista can be up there with him, and that some new riders can do something good as well.´

It´s not only Kallio who departed the class after the season finale in Valencia; the Red Bull KTM team for whom he competed in 250cc and earlier in 125cc now focusing their efforts on the lower cylinder category. The Finn had been keen to see who would have stepped into his shoes in the team.

`It´s not so good for either KTM or the 250cc class that they won´t be there next year, but for me the disappointment is that I wanted to see some other riders using my bike and check out what kind of results they could achieve,´ Kallio concludes.