Binder’s Austrian MotoGP victory something special – Petersen

Aside from experienced motorcycle racers, few people could even begin to understand how special Brad Binder’s efforts at Sunday’s Austrian MotoGP race at the Spielberg Red Bull Ring were. So says former Motorcycle Grand Prix racer and multiple South African motorcycle racing champion Dave Petersen.

Binder, 26, won the race – his second MotoGP victory – in almost impossible circumstances, riding his works Red Bull KTM on slick tyres in heavy rain for the last three laps.

The South African was lying sixth in a tight-knit leading group when the rain came down, and the five riders in front of him all pitted to get on motorcycles with wet-weather tyres.

Binder decided to gamble, stayed out and managed to coax his near-uncontrollable KTM to victory, narrowly ahead of the Ducatis of Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. The former Moto3 world champion later said he scared himself in the process, but the risks were worth taking in front of the fans at the Red Bull KTM’s home race.

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“At first it was difficult but not impossible, but over the last two laps both the tyres and the brakes lost all their heat, and I had to restrict my riding inputs to feather-light mode,” Binder said.

That, according to Petersen, was the most impressive part of Binder’s performance.

“Do not forget, he was still doing over 280km/h on the longest straight, and over 200km/h at various other points around Spielberg. You need ice water in your veins to do that, knowing you will find it almost lethally difficult to slow the bike down for corners.

“To do it three laps in a row scratches on the edges of the impossible, and could have gone wrong in about 150 ways. But, Brad Binder got it right, and again richly rewarded KTM for their faith in him,” Petersen concluded.

For the full MotoGP championship standings, click here.