KTM's Shaun Simpson Third in Qualifying on New Istanbul Circuit

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team's Shaun Simpson shrugged off the problems of a shoulder injury to finish third in the MX2 qualifying for the inaugural Grand Prix of Turkey and set himself up for a positive race on the new circuit on Sunday.

Simpson crashed on Wednesday and hurt his shoulder and has been having treatment to get him in shape for the weekend's racing on the circuit close to the historic city of Istanbul.  "I didn't know if I would be able to race but I went out in the first training and I really liked the track. It was technical, just how I like it and it was well ripped up and watered. Then in the second practice it was windy and the track had dried out a bit and it was harder on my shoulder so I wasn't sure how it would be in qualifying. I was right back at the gate but I had a good start and got up to fifth and then to third. I found my rhythm and managed to finish third so I am quite optimistic for tomorrow."

Factory teammate Rui Goncalves (Portugal) was also optimistic despite some minor technical problems that resulted in a DNF on Saturday. "I had a decent start and I was up to fourth for most of the race, then almost at the end I had a small technical problem and couldn't finish.  But tomorrow's another day and I'll be ready to go on this new track," Rui said. "The track's  well prepared, its rough and its technical," he said. "I'll have to start from the outside but it's still possible to have a good result."