Brad Binder and his brother Darryn have triggered many South Africans’ interest in the world’s premier motorcycling roadshow. Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images.
South Africans often expect our sporting stars to excel on the international stage and when they don’t live up to our expectations, we feel let down and can even become antagonistic towards them.
When motorcycle genius Brad Binder won a MotoGP race earlier this year – in his first season in the formula – many of us thought he would easily take the championship.
Yet, MotoGP is perhaps the most competitive form of motorsport in the world, never mind being one of the most dangerous, so it was unrealistic for SA fans to think Binder would sweep all before him.
No less an expert than Dave Petersen, the bike ace who flew the SA flag high worldwide in the ’70s and ’80s, says the fact that Binder has just been named MotoGP Rookie of the Year is a stunning achievement.
Petersen says that when the 2020 season started, both the Red Bull KTM racing team and Binder himself “merely hoped to score some points by finishing races in the top 15, while learning how to properly ride a MotoGP motorcycle”.
When he won a race on 9 August, everybody sat up and took notice, though.
This could be the start of an illustrious career.
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