Indianapolis, USA – 10 August 2014: Marc VDS Racing Team rider Mika Kallio strengthened his Moto2 World Championship challenge with a majestic victory in a restarted race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
Kallio had rocketed into a lead of over two seconds from pole position with some blisteringly fast early laps when the race was red flagged on safety grounds after a four-rider incident.
 
The unflappable Finn wasn’t to be denied and he demolished the field again in the 16-lap restart with a vital third win of 2014 cutting teammate Tito Rabat’s lead to just seven-points heading to Brno next weekend.
 
Battered and bruised from a heavy qualifying crash, it was a lack of rear edge grip that hindered Rabat the most, as the Spaniard slipped back from second to fourth at the chequered flag.
 
Jorge Navarro gave a fantastic account of himself on an unforgettable Marc VDS Racing Team debut in the 23-lap Moto3 race.
 
Starting from the second row after the best ever qualifying performance by a Marc VDS rider in Moto3, the 18-year-old Spaniard finished 14th and spent almost half of the race in contention for the top 10.
 
Mika Kallio // Race Winner
“The first two laps of the first race were incredible and I felt immediately really confident and fast on fresh tyres. For the second race we decided to keep the same tyres and I didn’t have the same good feeling. I still managed to open up a gap but I was pushing on the limit and the gap to second remained the same, so it was impossible for me to pull away. I just concentrated on keeping the gap to just over a second and it is a great feeling to win from pole position and be in control of the race from start to finish. It is a big result for the Championship and now we go to Brno where I won last year with a lot of confidence.”
 
Tito Rabat // 4th
“Fourth is not the result I was expecting and I had a lot of problems in the race. Once the rear tyre started to wear on the edge I couldn’t keep my corner speed and I was sliding much more than normal and losing a lot of time. All I can do is try and bounce back in Brno and try and get back to the top step of the podium. Mika is riding very strong and he is close in the Championship but we still have eight races to go.”
 
Jorge Navarro // 14th
“My target coming into this weekend was to finish the race and gain as much as experience as possible, so to score two-points and be fighting for the top 10 makes me incredibly happy. I think I could have made a better result but two important mistakes compromised my race a little. But for my first race with the team and everything being so new like the Kalex-KTM package and the track, I have to be satisfied with my performance. The biggest thing I learned was the first laps are very important and you have to push at your maximum right from the start. And you can’t commit any mistakes at this level because you get punished. I am very happy to get this opportunity from Marc VDS Racing and after such a positive start I can’t wait for Brno next weekend.”
 
Michael Bartholemy // Team Principal
“After a difficult start on Friday, Mika and his crew did a phenomenal job to get the pole position and victory double. Mika didn’t let the red flag disturb him when he already had a big lead and he showed his class and experience by managing the lead to take a win that really boosts his title challenge. It is a shame Tito couldn’t keep second so we could celebrate a 1-2 but he clearly had some grip issues that we will analyse on the data. The Championship is certainly interesting now and it is all set up for an exciting final eight races for the Marc VDS Racing team. I can’t speak highly enough of Jorge’s performance. He didn’t know the team, the bike or the track, so to qualify inside the top six and score points fully justified the opportunity we gave him. I am now looking forward to his progress over the remainder of the season because he is a bright talent.”