The 2019 season was the last for KTM in Moto2. However, it was awaited as the one of consecration with, in particular, Brad Binder. But it didn't. Put like that, we could conclude that it was a disaster and yet, the South African was not unworthy since he only missed the title by three points... An unusual outcome for an epilogue which is no less ordinary . For Hervé Poncharal, who was equipped with a KTM, it is even a mystery which still haunts him. Brad Binder recounts this crazy year and tries to shed some light…
Brad Binder has nothing to be ashamed of his Moto2 campaigns with the orange bike. He finished third in the championship in 2018 and vice-world champion in 2019. In 2020, he will be in MotoGP with the official rider leather KTM. However, after him, there will no longer be an Austrian executive in the intermediate Grand Prix category. The reason ? Despite its five victories in the second half of the season, the first half was so complicated that in Mattighofen, we had already decided to stop the costs.
The 24-year-old South African and former Moto3 World Champion, still with KTM, explain : " The biggest problem was that I didn't like the 2019 bike when I first rode it. I said, “Guys, we have to do something, it’s not enough.” I just knew the bike wasn't working, there was so much chattering, it was crazy. He was still very present towards the end of the season. It was really strange because it started on the rear wheel and went to the front. »
« We just tried everything, but we never got rid of it. Considering where we started last season and where we ended up, it's crazy to see the progress we've made » relates the teammate of George Martin which will continue in 2020 with the Ajo team in the category, with a Kalex. “ It was hard. I was lucky to have a big factory like KTM behind me because I had seven different bikes last year. I lost the overview a bit myself. I honestly never knew where the problem came from, I have no idea. We tried so many different things, some worked, some didn't. »
The “wolf” being nowhere to be found, we had to make do. Binder tell : " I still remember that we were waiting for a brand new motorcycle for Brno after the summer vacation. I was really happy, I thought I could really play the song. Unfortunately, this bike was a step back, so we lost the whole weekend and finally returned to the old bike with which I took second place at Assen and at the Sachsenring. A week after Brno, I won on this bike in Austria. We stayed with her until the end of the season. The idea was to try to work around the problem and make all other parts of the bike as good as possible. »
The fact remains that this concern forced him to adopt a radically different driving style from that of the rest of the peloton. Hence some friction and a certain tension… “ That was the problem, I couldn't ride with the other guys. At the start of the season I looked like an idiot because I was slowing everyone down. But in 90% of the cases, the others braked 20 or 30 cm in front of me, took the corner and hit the gas again while I was still in the curve with the front brake applied. It was hard. As the bike improved, we got a little closer to each other's styling, but there was still a difference. »
« I've always been quite aggressive, but especially last season. Because in the melee, I couldn't drive as I should, and I lost time. Where I was fast, they were slow – and where I was slow, they were fast " finished Binder on speedweek who, given the circumstances, definitely did very well!
