Red Bull KTM man went from hero to zero in less than 48 hours at Catalonia Grand Prix.
If ever Brad Binder needed a strong showing, it will be this weekend at the San Marino MotoGP.
He managed to turn the corner after a disappointing first half of the season, but what looked like a promising weekend went pear shaped for the Red Bull KTM at the Catalonia Grand Prix last weekend. He started the weekend like a house on fire by setting a new lap record in Barcelona, but could only qualify in 11th place and crashed out of the main race.
As always, the 2016 Moto3 champion looked on the bright side.
Brad Binder looks on the bright side
“A bit of a pity because I felt really good. We have to take the positives of the weekend and I think with a ‘normal’ weekend we can be really strong again,” he said.
Binder will draw positives from his fourth place at the 4.23km Misano layout was the closest he’s been to the main race podium in his last 23 races. He last stood on the podium during the 2024 opening round in Qatar where he finished runner-up to Pecco Bagnaia.
Binder, who has never finished outside the top 11 in his first five premier class seasons, is 11th in the title race on 95 points. After the Catalonia MotoGP he is 22 points adrift of the top 10.
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Marquez coronation delayed
Alex Marquez’s main race win in Barcelona means that his brother Marc Marquez can’t wrap up the championship in San Marino this weekend. Marc (487 points) leads Alex by 187 points with seven rounds to go.
The earliest Marc can confirm his eighth premier class title is at the first stop of the four-round Asian swing in Japan in two weeks’ time.
The rest of the South African contingent will also be eyeing a good showing in San Marino. Brad Binder’s brother Darryn Binder and teenager Ruché Moodley have missed out on the respective Moto2 and Moto3 points in their last two outing.
Racing action gets underway at 3pm on Saturday when the lights go out for the MotoGP sprint event. On Sunday, the Moto3 race starts at 11am, followed by the Moto2 race at 12.15pm and the MotoGP main race at 2pm.
