Brad second in MotoGP ‘curtain-raiser’
Krugersdorp's Brad Binder followed up his runner-up finish in the Saturday Sprint at the Lusail International Circuit with a confident repeat second position in what was a tense opening joust of the 2024 MotoGP campaign.
Testing, qualifying, Sprints and then finally, the Grand Prix.
As the MotoGP series began at the site of the traditional ‘curtain-raiser’, a crowd packed the central grandstand at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing prepped for the 22-lap distance with the knowledge and data of the 11-lap Sprint from Saturday night, March 9, in the hard drive. For Krugersdorp’s Brad Binder and teammate Jack Miller, the Sunday evening outing was the chance to bank full points and click the 2024 season into gear, the Red Bull KTM announced in their official newsletter.
Unfortunately, a mechanical problem for another rider caused a brief delay and a reduced 21-lap distance to be enforced. As on Saturday, Brad launched from 4th on the grid with Jack in 11th and the KTM RC16s were again noticeable for their rapid prowess from a standing start.
During the race, Brad pursued Francesco Bagnaia closely and also battled with Jorge Martin; beating the Spaniard to the second step of the podium. The 2–2 scorecard overall represented a shining start to the season and announced the Binder/ RC16 package as race winner-in-waiting. Jack was unlucky to slip out of the running on the second lap. He then endured a lonely run at the back of the field and completed the distance outside of the top 20.
Round two will see the sport and paddock unpack their European Grand Prix set-ups for the first time when they arrive at the Algarve International Circuit in southern Portugal from March 22 to 24. The EU stop will be brief as the third date on the calendar takes the series to North America in April.
“Super-happy to be leaving with second place again. I thought I might have had a bit to catch up and take the lead but every time I got a little closer, the gap stretched again! Anyway, we are happy to start the season this way. I think winning again is only a matter of time. My bike was next-level again, even after the improvements we had made, so my team did an immense job. Hats off to them,” Brad said.
