Latest news with #RedBullKTM
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘I'm not here to finish races,' says Binder ahead of Assen MotoGP
Red Bull KTM rider much better than his recent run of form in premier class suggests. Fresh off his first top 10 finish in four MotoGP starts, Brad Binder will be out to grab more points at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands this weekend. The Red Bull KTM man's ninth place finish in the main race of the Italian Grand Prix last Sunday relieved some pressure after scoring only three points in his previous seven starts. He moved up one place to 13th in the premier class championship lead by Marc Marquez. Although Binder's finish was commendable after starting from a lowly 15th place on the grid, he should be competing much higher up in the field by his own admission. The troublesome RC16 is also not helping his cause as he and his team-mate Pedro Acosta, who pipped him by three hundredths of a second at Mugello, finished almost 20 seconds off the winning time of Marquez's Ducati. Brad Binder wants more 'Of course I finished the race. But I'm not really here just to finish races,' he was quoted by after Mugello. 'It was a really long race. I expected a lot more from myself. But I had no grip at the front or the rear. 'I had problems with the front brake in particular. I had to brake very gently and control the accelerator with extreme caution to avoid any risk of falling. Pushing was absolutely impossible.' Binder boasts a good record at the 5.24km TT Circuit Assen known as 'The Cathedral of Speed'. He has not finished outside the top six is his last three main race starts in the Netherlands. ALSO READ: Brad Binder turns his poor run of form around with solid ninth place Pecco up against it Pecco Bagnaia, who won the last three races at the TT Circuit Assen, will have his had full against the Marquez brothers. The two-time world champion is third in the title race on 160 points and miles behind his Ducati factory team-mate Marc (270) and Alex (230) on a Gresini Ducati. Brad Binder's brother Darryn Binder and Ruché Moodley will hope to make amends after both failed to scored points at Mugello. Darryn Binder finished 21st in the intermediate class and is 20th in the Moto2 title race on 10 points. Moodley retired on lap two of the Moto3 race in Italy. The teenager is 23rd in the championship on 11 points. The sprint race at Assen start at 3pm on Saturday and the main at 2pm on Sunday. Before then, Moodley and Darryn Binder will be in action at 11am and 12.15pm respectively.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Binder battles back in Mugello: from Sprint crash to Sunday redemption
It was a defiant ride that salvaged pride and points on a circuit that demands perfection. But the result did little to lift him up the championship standings. After a bruising crash in the sprint race left his Red Bull KTM buried in the gravel at Turn 1, the South African rebounded with grit and composure, fighting through the field from 15th on the grid to ninth in the Mugello main event. Now 13th overall, Binder's 2024 campaign continues to unfold in a way few could have predicted at the season's start. Early setbacks once again shaped the outcome of the weekend, with a disappointing qualifying position continuing a worrying trend. Binder has struggled to consistently crack the top ten in recent rounds, as crashes and poor grid placements have undermined his ability to challenge at the front. Over the past nine race weekends — factoring in both sprints and full-length races — he has managed just 42 points and remains without a podium this year. Now trailing his KTM teammate Pedro Acosta by 42 points, Binder would have been relieved just to see the chequered flag on Sunday — especially after Saturday's collision with Johann Zarco ended a promising sprint effort prematurely and piled on the pressure ahead of the main race. Sunday's Grand Prix, however, offered a much-needed reset. The 29-year-old regained some composure, managing tyres and temperatures in hot, crowded conditions to bring his machine home safely inside the Top 10. Beyond points, he gathered crucial data — and perhaps more importantly, a measure of momentum. 'I got a decent start but didn't really have the pace to go with the next group in front,' Binder admitted after the race. 'I knew it was important to make the rear tyre last until the end and also guard the front because it was very hot and I was surrounded by riders. I didn't want it to tuck. 'It was a tricky race, and I'm glad to finish. It's by no means what I wanted, but at least it's a starting point. Importantly, I found out what we need to fix for next week, and if we can get a little bit more stability, it will be very beneficial.' The former Moto3 champion will not have to wait long for another chance, with the Dutch TT at Assen coming up this weekend. For Binder, it represents not only another race, but an opportunity to finally reset a season that's struggled to gain traction.
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Brad Binder turns his poor run of form around with solid ninth place
Weekend to forget for Darryn Binder and Ruché Moodley at Italian MotoGP. Brad Binder is happy to get his MotoGP campaign up and running again. Picture: Red Bull KTM Brad Binder hopes his solid ninth place in the Italian MotoGP is just the start of better things to come. The Red Bull KTM rider was under serious pressure going into Sunday's main race. His crash on the first corner of the sprint race on Saturday meant that he went down in five of seven starts, with only three championship points to show. He made a good start from 15th on the starting grid at Mugello on Sunday and quickly found himself in contention for the top 10. He moved up to eighth place late in the race before team-mate Pedro Acosta edged him by less than three hundredths of a second for eighth place. Brad Binder stays positive The seven points Binder earned for ninth place saw him move up one place to 13th in the title race on 42 points. Marc Marquez is running away with the MotoGP championship on 270 points. 'It was a tricky race and I'm glad to finish. It's by no means what I wanted but at least it's a starting point,' Binder told the KTM website after the race. 'Importantly I found out what we need to finish for next week, and if we can get a little bit more stability it will be very beneficial.' ALSO READ: Brad Binder apologises to Red Bull KTM after double French flop KTM boss delighted KTM team boss Aki Ajo was also glad to see a strong finish from Binder. 'For Brad it was a solid day after some crashes recently. It was important to finish and get some confidence back,' Ajo said. Things did not go all that well for the rest of the South African contingent in Italy. Brad Binder's brother Darryn finished outside the Moto2 points in 21st place, while Ruché Moodley crashed out on lap two of the Moto3 race. The next stop on the calendar, the 10th of the 22-race season, is the Grand Prix of the Netherlands next weekend.
The Citizen
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Brad Binder out to set the record straight at Italian MotoGP
Red Bull KTM man has only scored three points in his last six premier class starts. 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. ALSO READ: Brad Binder to start 2025 MotoGP season 'a much better rider' 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. ALSO READ: Brad Binder: Sleeping at home and racing at Kyalami will be 'sick' '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.
The Citizen
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Brad Binder hopes to regain confidence ahead of Aragon MotoGP
Red Bull KTM man has slipped to a lowly 14th place in the premier class world championship. Brad Binder has twice stood on the top step at Aragon. Picture: Red Bull KTM Despite returning to a happy hunting ground at the Aragon MotoGP this weekend, that is still no guarantee for Brad Binder to stop the rot he is currently experiencing on his Red Bull KTM RC16. Binder only managed a solitary championship point in his last four starts and is languishing in 14th place on 34 points in the title race. He is already a mammoth 162 points behind leader Marc Marquez (196) after just seven out of 22 rounds. The KTM man finished fourth twice in the premier class at the 5.08km layout in Spain, while he also took the chequered flag twice at Aragon in Moto2. Brad Binder hopes to improve 'I need to regain my confidence and take advantage of the good feelings when they come,' Binder told the PaddockGP website after the last race at Silverstone. After crashing out twice in France and then in the sprint race at Silverstone, Binder finished 15th in the main race, citing his struggles with the RC16. 'The last thing I want is to not finish four races in a row. And even when I'm driving at my limit, I'm asking myself, 'What am I doing?' ALSO READ: Brad Binder apologises to Red Bull KTM after double French flop 'A little tricky' 'This is certainly not ideal. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm not supposed to be riding in 15th position. But that's how it is. That's really my level right now,' he continued. 'It's a little tricky. But I must regain confidence. And I'm sure we'll get there.' The situation in the KTM garage is so dire that it rumoured Binder's team-mate Pedro Acosta, touted as a future premier class champ, has been in talks with various other manufacturers to jump ship. Binder is still contracted until the end of next year. ALSO READ: Brad Binder: Brilliant on a bike, but 'useless' at braaiing Darryn good to go Gresini Moto2 confirmed that Brad Binder's younger brother Darryn Binder will race in Spain. He missed the French and British Grands Prix with an arm injury and has undergone 'three intense weeks of rehabilitation and physiotherapy'. Teenager Ruché Moodley will eye another points finish in Aragon after making a low-key return at Silverstone. The BOE Motorsport rider was still recovering from a from fractured radius in his right arm he suffered during practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, an incident he also had to serve two long-lap penalties for at Silverstone. The MotoGP sprint race starts at 3pm on Saturday and the main at 2pm on Sunday. The lights go out fir the Moto3 race at 11am on Sunday, with Moto2 action getting underway at 12.15pm.
