After a complicated first round at home both on the track and behind the scenes, KTM needed to get back on track in the second which was placed under the seal of Austria and not Styria. But still on the Red Bull Ring. All the staff and staff from Mattighofen had traveled, thus putting a certain pressure on the meeting. And happiness arrived with a last minute downpour which disrupted the race with less than five laps to go. The epilogue was worthy of the high rank of the dignitaries present who can say to themselves that they did not make the trip for nothing.
There were a lot of people in the stand KTM during this Austrian Grand Prix. Judge for yourself: the sports director Pete Beirer, the boss of the company Stefan pierer and board member Hubert Trunkenpolz (the T in KTM comes from his last name), were attentive spectators whose concentration increased tenfold when the downpour came and they saw their rider Brad Binder stubbornly staying on the track with slick tires…
Besides, let's talk about the South African: he had not achieved a podium in the MotoGP category since his first victory in the category in Brno on August 8, 2020. But he still has a solid track record: he has climbed twice on the podium in one year, and each time as a winner… In addition, he went from eighth to sixth place in the world championship. And this only four days after his 26th birthday on August 11.
Stefan pierer, originally from Styria, appreciated the surprising triumph of Brad Binder in this race on home soil which brought together 12 fans in the stands dedicated to the brand. In this regard, a total of 000 tickets were sold at Spielberg on Sunday, and the fans were treated to an unprecedented spectacle in the last third of the event with, therefore, the happy epilogue for the Austrian trigram. The manufacturer, which entered the premier class in 86, has now achieved its fifth MotoGP victory. Three with Olive tree, two with Binder.
Pierer boss of KTM: “staying outside with slicks in the pouring rain, you have to be extremely brave as a driver”
« I was hoping for a podium finish from Brad Binder, but no one expected him to win so confidently in these difficult circumstances. To pull off such a maneuver, which is to stay outside with slicks in the pouring rain, you have to be extremely courageous as a driver. », whispered Stefan Pierer, visibly moved, on Speedweek.
In the first really wet lap, Binder drove exactly 5 seconds faster thanAleix Espargaro, who also had slick tires and was second behind him after 25 of 28 laps. “ Experiencing KTM's fifth MotoGP victory personally, at home too, is unique ", said Pierre, boss of the company.
In the last round, Iker Lecuona even occupied third place, the pilot Tech3 KTM then crossed the finish line in sixth position. “ Places 1 and 3 would have been even nicer », sighs Stefan pierer. " But the result is still great! ».
Binder won by 9,9 seconds. But because he ignored the "track limits" in the final corner, he received a 3-second penalty. Otherwise, he would have finished 12,9 seconds earlier Bagnaia.
MotoGP Austria J3: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
