Place of birth: Valkeakoski- Date of birth: November 8, 1982
- Nationality : Finland
- Weight: 56Kg.
- Height: 165cm.
- Residence Town: Monaco
- Class: MotoGP
- Team: Pramac Racing Ducati
Carrier Highlights
A newcomer to MotoGP with the Alice Team, Mika Kallio leaves behind a successful apprenticeship in the lower cylinder categories, although he was never quite able to take a world title.
His father was a top-level rider, and it was this influence that stopped him from following in the four-wheeled footsteps of some of his country's more famous sportsmen such as Hakkinen and Makinen.
Kallio won the 125cc Finish Championship for three consecutive years and has also been the national 'ice-bike' champion, a discipline which uses specially adapted motocross bikes on a frozen road racing track before taking fifth overall in the European Championship in 2001.
The same year he made his World Championship debut in Germany and earned a full time ride with the Ajo Motorsport team for the next season, in which he was the best rookie in 11th overall. The following year he also took 11th in the Championship, with his first podium in Sepang, having joined the new KTM team midway through the season.
Two years of success with KTM in 125cc gave him the runner-up spot in both 2005 and 2006, but despite the departure of previous World Champions Thomas Luthi and Alvaro Bautista he opted himself for a move up to 250cc. In his debut season in the quarter-litre class he won races in Japan and Valencia, and became a firm contender for the title in 2008.
A sterling start to his final campaign in 250cc put Kallio firmly in the driving seat, but a further two wins were not enough to deny Marco Simoncelli the title as the Finn´s form dipped. He now attempts to get to grips with the Desmosedici GP9 Sat as part of a more factory-supported Ducati satellite team, in his MotoGP debut.
His father was a top-level rider, and it was this influence that stopped him from following in the four-wheeled footsteps of some of his country's more famous sportsmen such as Hakkinen and Makinen.
Kallio won the 125cc Finish Championship for three consecutive years and has also been the national 'ice-bike' champion, a discipline which uses specially adapted motocross bikes on a frozen road racing track before taking fifth overall in the European Championship in 2001.
The same year he made his World Championship debut in Germany and earned a full time ride with the Ajo Motorsport team for the next season, in which he was the best rookie in 11th overall. The following year he also took 11th in the Championship, with his first podium in Sepang, having joined the new KTM team midway through the season.
A sterling start to his final campaign in 250cc put Kallio firmly in the driving seat, but a further two wins were not enough to deny Marco Simoncelli the title as the Finn´s form dipped. He now attempts to get to grips with the Desmosedici GP9 Sat as part of a more factory-supported Ducati satellite team, in his MotoGP debut.
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