Brad Binder won his second MotoGP sprint race in Spain on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images
Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder won a MotoGP sprint race for the second time in three starts at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on Saturday.
The South African also won the sprint race in Argentina three weeks ago to go with his two wins in MotoGP main races.
Defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia finished second in Jerez, with Binder’s KTM team-mate Jack Miller third.
The 12-lap sprint race was red-flagged on the first lap after a crash which involved Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi.
Binder, who started fourth on the grid, had moved up to second place behind Miller when the race was stopped.
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Binder had to do it all over again as the original starting grid was kept for the restart with both Marquez And Bezzecchi able to rejoin the race.
The KTM man went one better and leapt to the front on the first corner.
Miller overtook him a few laps into the race, but Binder stayed behind the Australian and retook the lead with two laps to go.
“Today was a tough one with the red flag at the beginning,” an ecstatic Binder told broadcasters after the race.
“I made sure I got a better start the second time around. I went straight to the front but had to take it a bit easy to get the tyres’ [temperature] up. They felt a little bit sketchy.
“As I started to get comfortable, I tried staying super close to Jack, who had great pace. To be able to fight to the end, push it through and come home with a win is incredible.
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“I need to say a massive thank you to my team. Fantastic to have both of us up on the podium. They’ve been working so incredibly hard and it’s paying off.”
The 12 points Binder earned for the win helped him move up to 42 points and go from ninth to sixth in the world championship.
Bezzecchi still leads the title race on 65 points, with Bagnaia second on 62 points and Maverick Vinales third on 48 points.
The main race in Jerez starts at 3pm on Sunday.
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