Catalunya represented the second Grand Prix on Spanish asphalt in 2023 and although the flowing and greasy surface of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted MotoGP slightly later than the traditional June date, the temperatures remained high, the fans packed the stands and the world championship kept fast at the 355km/h mark.
Krugersdorp’s Brad Binder and teammate Jack Miller started from 9th and 13th positions on the start grid and with useful data accumulated from the Saturday Sprint where Brad’s solid 4th place finish was the highlight. The South African made the brighter getaway on Sunday afternoon and in breezy conditions as Jack avoided the first turn mess that blighted his Sprint efforts 24 hours earlier. However, Brad was unable to dodge the fallen Francesco Bagnaia out of turn 2 which caused him to crash. The melee provoked an immediate red flag and a restart for a 23-lap run.
The RC16s (Brad and Jack’s motorcycles) were holding 6th and 7th until Brad had to stop due to a mechanical glitch after three laps. Jack ploughed ahead and was incredibly close to demoting Fabio Quartararo at the flag. Just 0.059 divided the pair in the fight for 7th.
Brad stays 4th in the championship with a 23-point gap to third. Jack is 9th as the series now shuttles straight to Italy and the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in Italy from September 8 to 10.
Brad said after the race, “A crazy afternoon. I had a really good launch but through the exit of turn 2, I did not see a thing until I arrived at Pecco and his bike in the middle of the track. I clipped something on his bike, went to miss him and couldn’t. I ended up falling. Thank goodness I saw him moving, so I hope he is fine.
“We restarted the race, and I brought the last tyre we had up to temperature but then we had a technical issue. My only priority today is that I did not seriously hurt anybody. As for the result; it is what it is.”
