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Red Bull KTM man the shining star for his team as riders drop like flies at Sachsenring.
Brad Binder finished seventh in what became a battle of survival at the German MotoGP. Picture: Red Bull KTM
Brad Binder was delighted to survive a battle of attrition at the “chaotic” German MotoGP on Sunday.
Severe tyre degradation saw riders dropping like flies at the 3.6km Sachsenring, where only 10 of the 18 starters managed to finish the 30-lap main race.
Starting 12th on the grid, Binder held on for a gutsy seventh place. The Red Bull KTM rider also finished the sprint race on Saturday in a season’s best sixth place which means he left Germany with a healthy 13 championship points. His total of 60 points sees him move up one spot to 12th in the title race.
Brad Binder relieved
“The main race was super-difficult. Such a long race and a lot of guys going down,” Binder told the KTM website after the German Grand Prix.
“It was chaos out there and very tricky for the front end. I was in a group the entire time and that was hard for the tire pressure and keeping the whole thing up.
“From a working point of view and the weekend as a whole this was definitely a step. It was sketchy so, even though I would have liked a much better result, it was an accomplishment to get to the line.”
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Not the ideal weekend for KTM
Binder was the shining light in an otherwise dismal weekend for KTM. Both Tech3 riders Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini were ruled out due to a shoulder injury and appendicitis respectively, while Pedro Acosta earned one point for finishing ninth in the sprint race before crashing out of the main race.
Acosta (99) and Vinales (69), who are eight and 11th respectively, are still ahead of Binder in the championship.
Out in front, Marc Marques recorded his 69th premier class win and now only trails Valentino Rossi (89) on the list of most wins. The Spaniard leads on 344 points, 83 ahead of his brother Alex Marquez.
Brad Binder’s brother Darryn Binder finished in the points for the first time since March. The Moto2 rider grabbed one point for finishing 15th in Germany.
MotoGP heads to Czechia this weekend before a four-week break.
