If there is a rider that KTM can be pleased to have signed until 2024 it is Brad Binder. The South African has certainly slipped to sixth place in the provisional general classification after having held second place for a long time, but his performance this Friday in Jerez is proof that between him and the RC16, there is a kind of complicity that his teammate Miguel Oliveira finds much more rarely. So, if the latter is 15th and the rookie Remy Gardner 23rd, the eldest of a Darryn last on this first day in Jerez is sixth…
A performance that must be highlighted, because, listening to it, nothing is simple. And he got into the art of preparing leftovers… “ Our task was much more difficult than expected “, said the two-time MotoGP winner. “ It was very difficult to brake the bike. In FP2 we tried three things, two of which had positive effects. NOW, our goal is to find more security on the front. If we can do that, we can drive a lot faster. So far I feel really at the limit with the current setup »
Brad Binder: “ I put a lot more pressure on the front tire than the other drivers«
Brad Binder adds: " we need to find a way to take the pressure off the front. If we can do this, we can improve », declared the current sixth in the championship. The South African also explains why there is often a difference with his Portuguese teammate: “ I attack a lot more when braking. I rely a lot more on stopping the bike to be able to accelerate early and hard afterwards. I'm not a driver who gains a lot of speed in the corners. This is why I put a lot more pressure on the front tire than the other riders ».
Brad Binder is now preparing for the battle of FP3 from which it will be necessary to finish in the top 10 to directly access Q2... An issue of great importance to Jerez due to the rare overtaking opportunities. “ The big question in FP3 will be which tires we can use because of the very cool weather at 10am. In these conditions, the medium front tire is super weak. He does not feel well. And it will be too cold for the hard compound in the morning. We must therefore make the right tire choices in FP3, then push hard to enter directly into Q2 » he ends on speedweek.
MotoGP Spain J1: times
Credit classification motogp.com
