Gutsy San Marino ride lifts Binder to fifth in MotoGP championship

Perseverance paid off for Brad Binder as he finished fourth for the second consecutive race at the San Marino MotoGP on Sunday to move up to fifth in the title race.

A drizzle, which started before the race in Misano, turned into persistent rain soon after the lights went out. With the weather at its worse, the front runners bunched up considerably with world championship leader Jorge Martin the only rider in the leading group pitting for a bike with wet configuration.

These chaotic scenes saw Marc Marquez shooting past Pecco Bagnaia into the lead which he never relinquished after starting from ninth on the grid.

Brad Binder wins KTM battle

Binder, who started from sixth on the grid, had a fight on the hands with KTM satellite rider Pedro Acosta, team-mate Jack Miller and Alex Marquez on a Ducati before eventually finishing in a lonely but solid fourth place behind Ducati trio Marquez, Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini.

“It was a bit of a stressful situation on the grid with rain dropping. A bit sketchy and we weren’t too sure what to do. However, I stuck with my gut feeling and it worked out well,” Binder told the KTM website after the race.

“The track was at its worst in the first sector but it quickly dried. It was a chaotic race because you were unsure how hard you could push and how much risk to take.

ALSO READ: Brad Binder: Sleeping at home and racing at Kyalami will be ‘sick’

Up to fifth place

“I’m happy with fourth and to be in the top five again and we found a good compromise with the bike. I was comfortable. Now we have to work through the items we have in the test and make more progress.”

Binder earned 13 points in the main race and another four for his sixth place in the sprint race to move up to 161 points in the championship, leap-frogging Acosta (152) into fifth place. Binder’s 2025 team-mate finished outside the points on Sunday after going off early in the race.

ALSO READ: KTM lauds ‘simply great’ Brad Binder for his brave ride in Austria

Martin’s gamble cost him dearly as he only earned one point for finishing in 15th place, enabling Bagnaia to gain 19 points on him. Martin (312) and Bagnaia (305) are followed by Marc Marquez (259) and Bastianini (250).

Darryn continues run

Brad Binder’s brother Darryn Binder recorded his fourth consecutive top 10 finish in Moto2 on Sunday. The Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP rider in 16th in the title race on 38 points.

Monday was an official test day at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with the show returning to the same track for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix n two weeks’ time.