Cardion AB’s Karel Abraham concludes his rookie season in eighth place at Valencia GP – MotoGP news
Cardion AB Motoracing rider Karel Abraham scored eighth position in the Valencia Grand Prix held at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.
The Czech rider took 14th position in the MotoGP world championship. Abraham faced a tough 2011 season which left him struggling for improvements.
Since the season start he had long way to improve his satellite Ducati GP11. Throughout the season, he improved a lot.
The Cardion AB Motoracing rider said, “The race was perfect. It was a good battle between me and Cal. I think everybody enjoyed it. I had hoped that Dani (Pedrosa) would slow Cal a little bit and I would make up some of the gap.”
The season finale at Spain was the last chance for Abraham to mark his impression as the best rookie for 2011. However, he failed as rival British rookie, Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Tech3) took fourth place finish in Valencia GP.
He started the race from tenth place on the grid. Abraham made a strong effort during the weekend and hit fourth place in the second free practice session.
He was trailing Ducati factory rider Nicky Hayden, second and satellite rider Randy de Puniet, third. The FP2 session was held under wet conditions.
During the race, Abraham and Crutchlow had a long battle for position. Eventually the Brit took step and overtook Abraham. Crutchlow took risk and charged to make passes ahead.
Abraham added, “I knew that he would try to overtake me in that corner, but I was too fast and touched his rear tyre. What can I say… I’m so sorry because it was a very good race. Plus, it could have been my best result of the year and I could have taken
the award for the best rookie. It’s a shame, but things like this happen.”
After a disappointing finish in the season, he aims to take better charge for the 2012 season. The next season marks the rebirth of 1000cc MotoGP prototypes.
The rider is all set to take the test ride during the post-race test session. The two-day test outing is planned to take a pre-season full taste of the 1000cc bikes that will be the centre of interest in the 2012 MotoGP season.
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