The 2017 world champion and vice-champion, Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi, left for MotoGP, the way now seems clear for those who shone alongside them throughout last season: Miguel Oliveira, Álex Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia , but also Mattia Pasini and Brad Binder.
Before the championship resumes, we invite you to learn a little more about these drivers by showing you their journey. (Portraits in five parts)
In addition to the three favorites, Oliveira, Márquez and Bagnaia, and the outsider Pasini, there is one last driver who we will have to be wary of in 2018 as he surprised us despite his pre-season injury: Brad Binder.
Born on August 11, 1995 in Potchefstroom, South Africa, Brad Binder first began his career in motorsports as a kart driver. At only eight years old, he was crowned national champion in the discipline.
We had to wait until he was ten years old, in 2005, and his desire to try something else to see him start on two wheels. He progressed significantly for four years, and was selected in 2009 to participate in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.
He reached the podium three times in his first season, and won his first race a year later, in 2011. That same year, he participated in his first Grand Prix in the 125cc world championship, replacing the injured Luis Salom. within the RW Racing GP team. He also runs the last four races, and convinces the team to trust him for the next season.
Binder therefore began his first year in the World Cup in 2012 and finished it in twenty-first position aboard a Kalex. He arrived in the Ambrogio Racing team in 2013 which made him ride on a Suter first, then on a Mahindra. Adapting rather well to the bike, he finished thirteenth overall, then eleventh the following year, in 2014. He also won his first two podiums in the category during this season, first in Germany where he finished third, then in Japan where he placed second.
Having spotted the South African's talent, team manager Aki Ajo offered him a place for 2015 within his Red Bull KTM Ajo team. Binder revealed himself on the KTM and reached the podium four times before ending the season in sixth place in the championship.
Number 41 continues with the same team in 2016 and the perfect alchemy takes place: his talent explodes during this season! On the podium from the start, in Qatar, he then won his first race in the Moto3 category in Jerez, at the end of a breathtaking Grand Prix. Starting thirty-fifth (and last) due to a penalty against his team for a technical infraction, he overtook each of the drivers in front of him to win.
From then on, he was unstoppable and only missed the podium four times. At the end of the season, he had seven victories and seven podiums and was titled world champion four races before the end, with 142 points ahead of his main opponent, a record!
He thus becomes the third South African in history to win a World Cup title, the last being Jon Ekerold in 1981.
Brad Binder naturally moves up to Moto2 in 2017 within the same team. Unfortunately he suffered a major arm injury during the winter tests, which prevented him from starting the season in good conditions and hoping to be able to fight for the title of best Rookie. He had surgery in December, then again in January. He fractured his arm again during the Argentine Grand Prix, which he nevertheless finished in seventh position. He then had to undergo surgery again and missed three races.
Despite his handicap, the South African achieved seven top ten finishes and won his first podium in Australia. He went there two more times, in Malaysia and Valencia, and finished the championship in eighth position.
Despite a major injury, Brad Binder had an excellent first season. Now that he has recovered and gained experience, he should logically be one of the strong men in the category. To be continued…
Previously: portraits of Miguel Oliveira, Alex Marquez, Francis Bagnaia et Mattia Pasini.
