Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder has not written off Fabio Quartararo to retain his MotoGP crown. Picture: EPA-EFE/DOMINIK ANGERER
While the majority of the MotoGP grid has backed Francesco Bagnaia to dethrone Fabio Quartararo at the season-ending MotoGP race Valencia on Sunday, Brad Binder isn’t quite as convinced.
Quartararo’s chances of retaining the title after his maiden championship win in 2021 seems very slim.
Bagnaia leads Quartararo by 23 points going into the season finale in Spain. For the Frenchman to overtake the Italian, a race-winning haul of 25 points is non-negotiable.
In addition he needs Bagnaia to finish lower than 14th place. A 14th place finish will earn the Italian two points and see him level on points if Quartararo wins, but ahead by virtue of more wins in 2022.
“You know stranger things has happened,” Binder told the MotoGP website with a huge grin.
“Valencia can be one of those places. It’s cold and it’s the end of the year. May the best man win.”
Binder faces a very similar scenario if he wants to finish fifth in the title rave which would be his best return in his three seasons in MotoGP. The Red Bull KTM rider is in sixth place on 168 points, 21 points behind his 2023 factory KTM team-mate Jack Miller (189) in fifth.
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The South Africa finished 11th in his debut premier class season in 2020 and sixth last year. Should he not overtake Miller, he will need to stay ahead of Johann Zarco who is only two points behind him to hold onto sixth place.
Brad Binder’s brother Darryn Binder is looking to finish the season on a high in Valencia after being left without a MotoGP seat in 2023. After moving straight from Moto3 to MotoGP this year, he will ride for the Liqui Moly Husqvarna-backed Intact GP team in Moto2 next season, a class experts believe he can thrive in.
“It’s been an up and down season, but I’ll try to finish it off as best as I can,” Darryn Binder told his RNF Yamaha team’s website.
“I just want to enjoy the last race on a MotoGP bike for now. That’s my personal main goal – trying to finish the year off strong and just enjoy it.”
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Sunday’s race at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo starts at 3pm. The Citizen Motoring will bring you all the drama.
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