Kallio Joins Redding on Marc VDS Racing Team

Henny Ray Abrams | November 7, 2010

VALENCIA, SPAIN, NOV 7 – Mika Kallio wasn’t unemployed for long. The Finn who ceded his Pramac Racing Ducati to Carlos Checa for the final two races of the MotoGP season, will return to racing in 2011 with the Marc VDS Racing team in Moto2.Kallio will team with rising British star Scott Redding on the two-rider squad, which pairs the 28-year-old Kallio’s experience-he competed in the 125cc, 250cc, and MotoGP classes-and the youth of Redding, 17. Redding became the youngest winner in grand prix racing history when he won the British GP at Donington Park aged 15 years, 170 days in June 2008. This season Redding had a spotty season with eight non-points paying finishes. Second in Australia was his best.Kallio was in MotoGP for two years, but never showed the talent that made him a constant podium threat in the 125cc and 250cc classes. This season has been especially difficult. Kallio suffered lingering injuries in the French GP at Le Mans that ultimately forced him to abandon the class for the final European swing. He scored points in only 10 of 18 races, with a best finish of seventh in Jerez.Though injuries were given as the reason for Checa to take his ride, Kallio is fit enough to test the Marc VDS Racing team Moto2 entry on the day after the Valencia circuit.”I had quite a few options in Moto2 for next year, but with Marc VDS I know I’ve found the right team for me,” Kallio said. “Their results in the second half of the season show clearly that they are one of the top teams on the grid and with them I know I can make good results next year. I’m sure there are some people who think this is a step backwards for me career wise, but I disagree. I think it is a great opportunity for me and I know that with this team I can be back at the front once again. The fact that the Marc VDS Racing Team are committed to stepping up to the MotoGP class in the future is also a very positive thing for me, as I have still feel I have unfinished business there. Now I just need to get a feel for the Suter MMX, starting tomorrow morning with my first test aboard the bike.”