From the start Brad Binder fights for victory at the MotoGP season opener – Why KTM is strong again and what potential the South African still sees
Brad Binder caused a sensation at the 2022 MotoGP season opener in Qatar. The KTM rider was among the front runners from the start and was only beaten by Enea Bastianini (Gresini-Ducati) by three tenths of a second after 22 laps.
The basis for this was an optimal start. From position seven, Binder stormed forward and was already third behind the Honda duo after the first corner. “The start was crazy,” laughs Binder.
“I already had good starts last year, but today it was a bit better. When I was shifting through the gears, I thought to myself – this is perfect! It was perfect that I was able to get into third place right from the first corner. “
“I was also able to keep up and follow the guys at the front. I also took care of the tyres, because it was very important here to pay attention to the rear tyre. I tried to be as consistent as possible. “
“When Enea overtook me, I couldn’t do anything against him. So I concentrated on not making any mistakes and not overdoing it. The last two laps I tried my best to catch him again, but it wasn’t enough. “
KTM package has improved significantly in a short space of time
KTM celebrated second place like a victory as the Losail circuit has always been a difficult ground for the RC16 in the past. “That was probably the cleanest MotoGP race I have ever ridden,” Binder pointed out. “I’m very happy. “
Did this performance come as a surprise? A month ago, KTM didn’t look this competitive. At the winter test in Malaysia, KTM had been the slowest brand. One heard of difficulties – especially with traction on corner exit.
“It’s true that I didn’t leave Sepang very happy,” Binder looks back on the past few weeks. “But when the engineers had time to analyse the data, they fixed our problems. Already at the Mandalika test it went much better. “
And also in the course of the practice days in Qatar it became apparent that KTM is not missing much on the top. Where has KTM improved so much – especially compared to the two Qatar races twelve months ago?
“The bike steers,” Binder points out. “Last year we could only get the front wheel around the corner here if we braked really hard. Now I can release the brake and take a lot of speed into the corner. That’s a very big difference.”
“It also gives you more confidence because you don’t have to be on the limit on the brakes all the time. There are still some things we can do better in the race. Our package is still relatively new. That’s why I’m confident. I have a great team behind me. “
Brad Binder believes in further progress
Technically, the RC16 is not a radically new bike. “Many things are the same, but many are also completely different,” Binder tries to explain. “That’s why you can’t say what exactly makes the difference.”
“If I compare our old base set-up with now, it is a completely different bike now. It’s clear that it works better and I have more confidence. If something doesn’t quite fit, we have more room to manoeuvre now and we don’t have to go all the way to the limit. “
“Our bike is very solid at the moment. Last year I often had the feeling that I could have done better. Today my bike worked incredibly well. I think we can get even more out of the package. “
“But I have to say that I have never felt as comfortable over a race distance as I do now. Hopefully we will continue to make progress. If we had been told last year that we would get a podium here, we would never have believed it.”
And can KTM be at the front of the pack all season, fighting for wins and the world title? “I would like to say yes,” answers Binder. “I think we have everything to be up front every weekend. Our bike works very well.”
“But it was only the first race and there are still so many different tracks to come. For that, we have to face a wide variety of scenarios in the future. That’s why we have to keep both feet on the ground and keep working.”
Binder’s teammate Miguel Oliveira retired due to a crash. Moto2 world champion Remy Gardner collected one world championship point on his MotoGP debut in 15th. His Tech 3 teammate Raul Fernandez saw the chequered flag in 18th and last place.
