Brad within reach of top dogs

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing battled to strong results at the Motul TT Assen in the Netherlands as both Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira launched from mid-grid slots to capture fifth and ninth respectively in front of another busy venue of more than 100 000 spectators on race day, hungry for Grand Prix action.

The quick, technical and demanding TT Circuit Assen was packed to the rafters for the first time since 2019 and the wet weather that blighted the first day of Free Practice for round 11 of 20 in the current campaign steered clear for the 26-lap, 118km race distance on Sunday, June 26.

Also see: Brad within reach of Top 5

Miguel had reached his second-best qualification of the season on Saturday with entry to Q2 and eighth position, and Brad was not far behind in tenth and at the tip of the fourth row.

As the race started Brad leapt to the fringes of the first five riders and was then battling with Maverick Viñales and Jack Miller for a sniff of the last podium step. Brad set his eyes on fourth place as Viñales escaped in the final stages – light rain even started to briefly fall at one point – but then Aleix Espargaro joined the contest in the closing two laps and the Catalan’s move in the final chicane squeezed the South African. Brad was fifth by less than two tenths of a second and was less than 1.5 seconds from Maverick and the podium. Fifth was still Brad’s second-best result of 2022 so far and with a race time almost 30 seconds superior to his 2021 effort at TT Circuit Assen. Miguel crossed the finish line six seconds behind his teammate but with a well-earned ninth after losing the right fairing sidepod in a bizarre collision with Joan Mir while taking his spot on the grid.

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Remy Gardner battled to 19th after being bustled into the first corner, while teammate Raul Fernandez was forced to withdraw with a right arm problem at half race distance.

The Monster Energy British Grand Prix will fill the 12th stop for 2022 MotoGP™ but will not take place until the first weekend of August.

Brad said after the race, “A good race and it felt like it was qualifying from the start to the end! I tried my heart out for the podium; I thought it was possible. On the last lap I dived up the inside of Jack but then Aleix got us both: I’m glad we all made it around and nobody crashed! Anyway, it was nice to have a top-five finish; it’s been a while. I started at the front, more than I have done lately, and it’s easier to be fighting from tenth than say 15th. I think we got some good data for the team and it’s clear where we need to improve. Once we get it right then I believe we will be really strong.”

German MotoGP™:

A week before and in round 10 of the MotoGP™, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing clocked another double Top 10 result at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in front of a sell-out crowd packed into the sunny Sachsenring. Brad finished seventh and teammate Miguel ninth as all KTM RC16 riders grabbed points in Germany.

Click here to follow Brad’s progress and journey.