Brad Binder pulls the coals out of the fire for KTM in India with fourth place – Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro in the back of the points
The podium remained out of reach for KTM at their MotoGP debut in India. Brad Binder did ride to a respectable fourth place – and that from twelfth on the grid. But in the end he was almost four seconds off third place, and 12.6 seconds off race winner Marco Bezzecchi of VR46-Ducati.
“It was good that the race was three laps shorter, because with the tyres I wouldn’t have made it to the finish otherwise,” explained Binder. “It was tough. I wanted a lot more, but we just weren’t fast enough. And with five laps to go, the tyre was at the end.” Nevertheless, he was able to overtake Joan Mir on the Honda.
“I gave my maximum but had imagined more. My team has worked great since FT1 to get the best out of it. Now we turn our eyes to Japan, reset and try to return to the podium there,” said Binder.
Team-mate Jack Miller couldn’t get past 14th place after a messed-up start, collecting just two meagre points. “I lacked the pace and grip today. The bike was very unsettled from the start. I had to take out speed to get through the corners safely,” he explained.
Miller in survival mode after poor start
“The start was not ideal. It got pretty tight in turn one. I had to go off the track to avoid contact. I then tried to make up a lot of positions as quickly as possible on the first lap and went off the track again.”
“It took me a few laps to get past Stefan Bradl. The temperature in the front tyre was therefore at the limit. When I passed, I could control it better again. But when I caught up with Pol and Co. it was already too late and the front tyre was at the limit again,” Miller continued.
In the warm-up the Australian had tried a slightly different set-up. “No big changes, just details,” he reveals. “But I wasn’t completely happy with it and went back to what we knew for the race.”
“The grip level seemed generally lower today. I couldn’t build up corner speed, especially in 5, 8, 9 and 10. This grip problem has been plaguing us for the last few races. What we tested in Misano might help in this respect. But we have to get it first. Until then, we, me and my team, can still work on a few things to improve our pace. “
Pol Espargaro: Highest heart rate ever
GasGas rider Pol Espargaro finished one position ahead of Miller. He struggled in India, especially with his physique. “I am tired, just like my colleagues. In the race I reached my highest heart rate so far, 198bpm. I never expected that. I was shocked,” the Spaniard reported.
“I’ve never had such a value, not even during bike training at home. But the heat combined with the track makes it really tough.” That the race was shortened from 24 to 21 laps was therefore the right decision, he said.
“We asked for it in the safety committee. It was actually also one of the longest races in the calendar. In Barcelona it was 38 minutes. Here it would have been 42.5 minutes over the full distance – in combination with the heat and the high humidity, too much from my point of view,” said Espargaro. The fact that he had only recently returned from a serious injury made it even tougher for him.
Fernandez has to retire with defective device
“Every track is challenging, but this one is extreme,” said the GasGas rider when asked if India was the first real test of endurance since his injury lay-off. “Today I felt like I lost a lot of time because of my physical condition.”
“I ended up running high 1:46 times. It was the first time I thought I had to take out speed to finish. But that’s part of the process. I have to keep working on myself and I’m sure I’ll reach my normal level in the next races or in the preseason.”
Espargaro’s teammate Augusto Fernandez was at the back of the points at the start of the India race but had to retire his bike after just six laps. The ride height system at the rear of the Spaniard could no longer be deactivated.
