Near podium finish for Brad in Spain
Brad Binder is in some good nick having placed fourth in Spain, bagging more valuable championship points.
Krugersdorp’s Brad Binder managed to secure 13 championship points after placing fourth at the 12th MotoGP race of the season held at the MotorLand Aragón in Alcañiz, Spain on the first weekend of September.
According to the official Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team newsletter, the MotorLand circuit was tricky as thunderstorms created a wet and cool climate for the start of race day. However, sunshine soon dried the asphalt for Brad to reach the top 5.
“MotorLand Aragón continued to throw curveballs at the MotoGP field for a challenging 12th round of the season. After hot and slick conditions on Saturday [due to Friday night rain], a thundery and stormy climate creates a wet and unpredictable grip on Sunday morning. Brad was able to use the brief 10-minute warm-up session to try settings for the damp track, but by the time Moto3 and Moto2 had warmed up the crowd the track had dried and provided a narrow, clean principal racing line,” the team said.
The team continued that Brad had some wheelspin from seventh and a greasy section of the grid, where he made some moves and ended up behind Pecco Bagnaia and then Pedro Acosta. A collision between two riders ahead allowed the Spaniard and Brad to rise two spots in the ranking with five laps remaining and Brad nursed his tyres to the flag.
“This was a tricky race. I needed a good start but I spun off the line again and all the way to turn one. I managed to pick my way through and pass a few guys. It was difficult not to make mistakes because the front tyre was cooking until the end of the race. I tried my best to get Pedro but there was nothing left from the rear! We tried something different with the balance of the bike this weekend and it seemed to work over the distance. I think we have made a small step and we’ll try again next week,” Brad said.
Brad will next head to the Misano Adriático circuit in Italy for the 13th MotoGP to take place from September 6 to 8.
He currently sits in sixth place overall on the MotoGP riders championship standings with 145 points, just three points behind the 5th place Spaniard Pedro Acosta. Brad’s teammate, the Australian Jack Miller is 15th with 48 points.
