Brad Binder, who is struggling with Red Bull KTM, had to swallow a bitter pill after being forced to retire on the opening lap of the British MotoGP on Sunday due to a technical issue.
When the lights went off, Binder, who had started sixth on the grid at Silverstone, was unable to get his RC16 to launch, causing the 16 motorcyclists behind him to give him a speed pat. He made an attempt to return to the pits in order to switch motorcycles, but he was unable to reach his garage.
“Not much to discuss. After the race, Binder told the KTM website, “Unfortunately, I had a small clutch issue and could not get away from the line.”
Brad Binder maintains his optimism.
Following a four-week summer break, the South African driver was determined to make a successful return to Silverstone after KTM’s campaign faded significantly in the first part of the season. Before taking the harsh technical hit, his second row qualifying and fourth place finish in the sprint race gave promise for a significant points haul in the main race.
We had made some modifications to the bike this morning, and with the medium tire, it was the fastest I had gone all weekend. We knew the race would have been difficult from start to finish, but at least we had won the warm-up, Binder remarked on Sunday.
“My team and I are putting in a lot of effort and we tried something new.” We shall have to retry in Austria.
Ducati is king of the hill
With 114 points, Binder remains in seventh place in the MotoGP standings, eight points behind Pedro Acosta, the KTM satellite rider (122).
Enea Bastianini’s double at Silverstone signaled his arrival as a legitimate title contender. After Pecco Bagnaia (238) and Jorge Martin (241) of the Ducati factory squad, the Italian (192) is currently third in the fight for the championship.
The first rider not riding a Ducati in the standings, Maverick Vinales (130), is followed in fourth place by Marc Marquez (179).
Nice trip for Darryn
In two weeks, KTM will be itching to get back to their home track. Three years ago, Binder won his last major race at the Red Bull Ring.
Darryn, Brad Binder’s brother, achieved his best Moto2 finish of sixth at Silverstone. With 16 points, the Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP rider is ranked 20th in the championship race.
