‘The beginning of something great’ – Brad Binder is hungry for more

Stunned by his maiden MotoGP victory in his rookie season, Brad Binder hopes his performance will launch a long-term legacy as he continues to break new ground at the highest level of the sport.

In only his third top-flight race, Binder overtook Italian Franco Morbidelli on the 13th lap before pulling clear to win the Czech Grand Prix on Sunday.

“It was the craziest ten laps of my life at the end. I was being as soft as I could. It was incredible. Unbelievable,” he said afterwards.

The 24-year-old rider became the first South African to win a MotoGP race, and the first man to do so on a KTM bike.

The result lifted him to fifth place in the season standings.

“This was the most incredible day of my life so far,” Binder said.

“It’s a day I’ve dreamed of since I was a child and, gosh, for it to come true in my third Grand Prix is scary. I honestly can’t believe it.”

Binder on his way to victory at the weekend. Picture: Getty Images

On his way to the top, Binder won the Moto3 World Championship in 2016, and he topped the podium in eight Moto2 races between 2017 and 2019, taking the runner-up spot in last year’s second-tier
championship.

He credited his team for “grinding it out” in recent years, and though he was eager to build momentum at the fourth leg of the season in Austria this weekend, Binder admitted he had not yet considered the possibility of chasing the championship title.

He did, however, hope his latest success was a sign of things to come.

“If we look at where we are today, it’s just unbelievable,” he said.

“We’ve won in all three classes, all with Red Bull and KTM, and I hope this is the beginning of something great.”

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