Read more
Brad Binder vows to bounce back after rare failure
Red Bull KTM rider slips to seventh in the world championship after failing to finish for the first time in 19 races.
Brad Binder hopes to have betters fortunes in Jerez on Sunday. Picture: AFP
Brad Binder has vowed to bounce back after a disappointing Portuguese Grand Prix which saw him slip down the MotoGP championship standings.
The Red Bull KTM rider, who started at the Algarve International Circuit from 12th on the grid, was is 11th place when he crashed out mid-race.
In failing to add to his 42 world championship points, the result saw him slip from sixth to seventh in the rider standings.
Binder trails new championship leader Fabio Quartararo, who romped to the victor in Portugal, by 27 points.
“Sorry to the team for messing up. This happens. We’ll move on, and Jerez is normally a great track for us,” a disappointed Binder said after the race.
The Spanish Grand Prix takes place on 1 May. The race at Jerez is the first of 11 consecutive MotoGP races in Europe.
The Portuguese Grand Prix was the first time Binder failed to finish in 19 races. Since retiring from the Spanish GP in Jerez a year ago, the KTM rider has scored points in 18 consecutive races.
ALSO READ: Tickets for Formula One event at Kyalami would probably cost more than R5k each- expert
“I was battling in the race and fighting to get the bike stopped when I was behind people but started to find my groove. I was pushing on, but unfortunately got sucked into one of the corners too much and tucked the front,” Binder said.
His team-mate Miguel Oliveira managed to finish fifth at his home track to move up to eighth place in the championship, three points behind Binder.
“We go home with a fifth position, which is not the worst result but we had a podium in the back of our mind today,” said Francesco Guidotti, the Red Bull KTM team manager.
“Brad didn’t get the best start and wasn’t in the best condition for overtaking. There was a lot of traffic and he lost the front when he was coming back.”
Brad’s younger brother Darryn Binder finished outside the points in 17th place in Portugal. The Yamaha rider is 21st in the championship on six points in his debut MotoGP season.
To see the full MotoGP rider standings, click here.
