Watch KTM Test Rider Take On Finland's New MotoGP Circuit
In 2020, KymiRing will host Finland's first MotoGP race since 1982.
Racers love to race—and if they’re in an international series like MotoGP, there’s nothing like the feeling of racing at home. Ever since the early 1980s, though, that wasn’t a reality for Finnish MotoGP competitors. That’s all about to change with the 2020 MotoGP calendar. Official dates haven’t been announced yet, but official testing is currently underway ahead of a planned 2020 debut for MotoGP at the KymiRing in Finland.
Test riders for all six factory teams are busy for two days of testing at the track. The first one out was Mika Kallio, on board a KTM RC16. Other testers include Stefan Bradl for Honda, Michele Pirro for Ducati, Sylvain Guintoli for Suzuki, Bradley Smith for Aprilia, and Jonas Folger for Yamaha.
The first day of testing was wet, but that wasn’t a problem for any of the test riders. There’s an official MotoGP photo gallery featuring great shots from earlier today to give you a taste. Hopefully, the second day of testing will present dry conditions so the testers can get a feel for the track under more than one type of weather.
Kallio also spoke to rally driver Murat Günarslan ahead of the official testing event. He observed that, “There are many good places to overtake especially on the first and second sections with fast corners. Few lines you can choose there and at the end of the back straight, too.”
“It will be fun to see all the guys riding on the track. I like that there are ups and downs and blind corners, as it is always more interesting for riders. Hopefully I will be here on the grid. I have been racing for a long time. Stick the helmet on and full gas!" Kallio told Günarslan.
Kallio has been a professional racer since 2001, and raced across all three MotoGP classes for five seasons before sustaining a serious knee injury in practice at the 2018 German GP. Since then, he’s been working to get back to top racing fitness so he can get back on the grid—with the prospect of racing at KymiRing in front of his home crowd as one of many motivations.
Sources: YouTube, MotoGP, Road Racing World, Autosport, KymiRing
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