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Red Bull KTM man has only scored three points in his last six premier class starts.
Brad Binder will look to bounce back at Mugello this weekend. Picture: Red Bull KTM
It’s a new MotoGP weekend, but the same old problem for Brad Binder as tries to regain his confidence.
The Red Bull KTM rider only scored three points in his last six starts and he will be desperate to set the record straight at the at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. The race takes place at the 15-corner 5.245km Mugello situated in the Tuscany countryside.
After finishing the Spanish MotoGP main race in sixth place, his best position of the season, things turned pear-shaped for Binder. He left Le Mans with no points, Silverstone with two points for finishing the main race in 14th and Aragon with a solitary point for a ninth-place finish in the sprint race.
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Brad Binder miles behind leaders
This poor run of form included four DNFs, which leaves the KTM man languishing in a lowly 14th place in the MotoGP title race on 35 points, almost 200 behind leader Marc Marquez. With only eight of the season’s 22 races completed, it seems that only Marc’s brother Alex Marquez (201) can still catch the six-time premier class champion.
Binder made good strides in qualifying during the last round at Aragon, which is usually his Achilles heel. He recorded the sixth fastest time for start on the second row of the grid. After wheelspin cost him dearly at the start of the sprint race, he held his own and flirted with the top five in the main race before crashing out on lap 12 of the main race.
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“It’s tricky because every time I gain some confidence with the front end it tends to give up on me!” Binder said after the race.
“I need to take the positives from the weekend and I was able to take what I needed from the bike. Every time I needed a quick lap I was able to be in the mix. If we can hold the performance from this weekend going forwards then things can only get better.”
Darryn, Ruché in action
Brad Binder’s brother Darryn Binder also had a Sunday to forget at Aragon after crashing out of the Moto2 race on the sixth lap. The Gresini Moto2 rider last scored points in the second races of the season, after which he missed three out of the next six races due to injury.
Moto3 rider Ruché Moodley will be keen to add to his points tally of 11 at Mugello. The Denssi/BOE rider has scored points in four of his first eight starts.
