It may not be obvious, as it's not often mentioned, but Brad Binder is indeed considered by many to be in the top five of the current MotoGP peloton. An opinion that is also current among his peers. Pol Espargaró, who seems to be returning to KTM, via a Tech3 team with which it will also be a reunion after two disappointing seasons at Repsol Honda, commented on the South African: “ Brad, it's clear to me. I was his teammate and I know how good he is ". So much so that he ridicules those who assure that we can no longer overtake in the current MotoGP made of wings and other trim correctors...
The grandiose finale ofAleix Espargaró in Assen demonstrated it or the start of the race Johann zarco on the same official Aprilia should have convinced. But no, the Cassandras remain on their idea which they want to see established as certainty: we no longer overtake in MotoGP. Let us then contrast them with the case of Brad Binder on a KTM which is not, so to speak, the best bike on the grid: Jerez : 18th position on the grid, 8th place in the race. Le Mans : 16th position on the grid, 7th place in the race. Montmeló : 15th position on the grid, 8th place in the race. Sachsenring : 15th position on the grid, 7th place in the race. HAS Assen, Brad Binder started tenth to finish fifth.
An eloquent assessment which makes the 3 Moto2016 World Champion say: “ luckily i'm good at racing, otherwise i wouldn't have a job ". And fortunately we can overtake in MotoGP, otherwise KTM would not find himself at this mid-campaign of the specialty in front of Suzuki et Honda, but behind Ducati, Yamaha and Aprilia. KTM therefore passes the milestone of the 2022 MotoGP summer break in fourth place in the constructors' championship. The Austrian factory team is in fifth position in the team standings. The two factory drivers Brad Binder et Miguel Oliveira are in the top 10 in the driver rankings.
Brad Binder: “ I live for MotoGP every day«
Less than KTM must work on the qualifications phase. The RC16s no longer succeed, in fact, as soon as the new tires are fitted… “ We have difficulties when we put on new tires » recognizes the teammate of a Miguel Oliveira on departure, but still without an official destination. “ If you look at my qualifying lap times and compare them to the race times, the difference is maybe half a second. Others, on the other hand, are a second and a half or even two seconds slower than in qualifying. It's not just me, all the KTMs are struggling to set a good time on Saturday ».
So, we have to resolve this and the five weeks of vacation notebooks may have been useful in developing a solution: “ we need a small step that can make a big difference » says Brad Binder which adds on speedweek : " I live for MotoGP every day. I watch videos before bed and wake up in the morning thinking about them. All I want is to be the best I can be at my job. The summer break is a good opportunity for everyone to analyze the first part of the season. As far as we are concerned, we want to make sure we get closer to the top as the second half of the season begins ". In the meantime, we will have to overcome and he is one of those who shows that it is possible.
