The MotoGP world is gearing up for a new chapter with KTM, as Brad Binder welcomes the arrival of Aki Ajo at the helm of the team, praising his forthright candor. Ajo, a paddock veteran with a deep love affair with KTM, takes the reins of the factory team for 2025, succeeding Francesco Guidotti.
Brad Binder, the hot-blooded and competitive South African driver, greeted the arrival ofAki Ajo at the head of the MotoGP team KTM. For Binder, this Finn with a reputation for iron is not unknown. On the contrary, he embodies a " politics without bullshit ", a mantra that resonates like a familiar melody in the pilot's ears. Garlic, he is the discreet but relentless architect behind the successes of KTM in Moto2 and Moto3, a man who has seen talents such as Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta, and of course, Brad Binder itself.
Their shared history is woven with victories and decisive moments. Binder took the crown Moto3 in 2016 under the colors ofAjo Motorsport, before fighting for the title in Moto2 with the same team. A meteoric rise that propelled him into MotoGP in 2020.
Today, as Ajo replaces Francesco Guidotti as team principal for 2025, Binder does not hide his excitement. Honestly, with Aki, it's really cool for me because obviously I have already spent several years with him in Moto3 and Moto2 " he said at the launch event of KTM for 2025.
Brad Binder: “ with Aki Ajo, there is no bullshit »
« I really like his way of doing things. For me, he's super direct, easy to talk to whenever you think something is going right or wrong. With Aki, there's no bullshit, so you know everything he says is the truth and nothing else. It's going to be really cool, I'm looking forward to it " proclaims the official KTM on crash.net.
Binder, who finished the 2024 season in sixth place overall, made no secret of his frustrations with a mixed season, marked by just two podiums at the inaugural round at QatarThe pilot admits that he tends to " force the machine " when things don't go his way, an approach he knows he has to review." For my part, I think this has happened several times in my career where I wanted much more than what I got at the time “, he admitted.
« And when things don't go my way, I always try to make more effort. Last year, trying harder, it clearly didn't work., because I felt like I was spending more time on myself than on the bike at the beginning of the year » he specifies.
More Binder learned valuable lessons from this tumultuous period. So it was a learning period for me, for sure, and now I understand much better how to handle things if they don't go as well as I hope. " With Aki Ajo by his side, Binder sees the future as an open track, ready to be conquered. Their alliance, forged in authenticity and determination, could well be the spark that will propel KTM to new heights in 2025.
