Brad rushes to sixth place in Argentina MotoGP™
After three races in the 2022 season Brad is now seven points from the top of the MotoGP™ Championship table behind Aleix Espargaro from Spain.
The first Grand Prix of Argentina since 2019 saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder dash around the flat and fast Termas de Rio Hondo circuit for sixth position on Sunday April 3.
The ultra-competitive series continues to produce new winners and podium finishers, but KTM is highly placed on every championship table.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing teams barely had time to catch their breath for the 25-lap Gran Premio Michelin de la República Argentina. Logistical difficulties for the organisers meant Free Practice and Qualification had to be crammed into a single day of activity on Saturday, and saw all four KTM RC16s spread through the rows of the grid. MotoGP’s absence from Argentina for the last two years meant that three of KTM’s four riders were circulating Termas on the RC16 for the first time.
Rushed but still ready to race, it was Brad who made the most ground at the start and roamed inside the top ten and in a group with Maverick Viñales and Francesco Bagnaia. By the end of the distance Brad was able to attack and relegate Maverick for sixth, meaning his results read second, eighth and sixth. Miguel Oliveira, who won round two in Indonesia, crossed the line in 13th having toughed out some rear-grip issues.
Raul Fernandez rode the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing RC16 to 16th position – the second-best rookie on the day – and just ahead of teammate Remy Gardner.
A relatively short trip north awaits MotoGP™ now as the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas will stage the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas next weekend (April 10).
It was a weekend where I expected more but we have to keep in mind that we started in 11th position and managed sixth, so it was a decent comeback,” Brad said.
“I wanted more and I expected more but I didn’t have the pace today. Hats off to the team because it was not an easy GP and we all did a great job considering we only had Saturday to prepare. We have some good points in the bag and brought the bike home again. There is an opportunity now to apply what I learned from this race and go even better at COTA.”
After three races in the 2022 season Brad is now seven points from the top of the MotoGP™ Championship table behind Aleix Espargaro from Spain.
