In a Grand Prix Sprint MotoGP In Thailand, where an Aprilia or a Ducati was expected, it was ultimately Pedro Acosta's KTM that crossed the finish line first, while Brad Binder, not involved in the drama at the front of the race, maintained sixth position against Joan Mir's Honda.
For the first round of the 2022 season, it was a beautiful, a very beautiful Sprint that we witnessed on the Chang International Circuit in Buriram! Thanks to the current general domination of Aprilia and the good resistance of Ducati, we hoped for a captivating confrontation, and we were not disappointed, since nobody really expected KTM to get involved in this Italian-Italian fight.
As for imagining a victory for RC 16…
Certainly, that of Peter Acosta was snatched on the green carpet, and everyone will have their own opinion on that, but before that, the young Spaniard had shown on numerous occasions that attacking Marc Márquez being at the site of his two victories in 2025 did not faze him.
Behind this struggle for success, and a trio of Aprilias decapitated by their leader, Brad Binder, who went almost unnoticed in this very intense sprint, crossed the finish line only 4,612 seconds behind his victorious teammate.
11th in Practice, qualified directly for Q2, and starting from the same position on the grid, three places higher than in 2025, the South African finished in 6th place, which KTM describes as "honorable", after battling just outside the top five in the Sprint. His 6th place finish improves on his 8th position from last year.
Brad Binder : “A pretty good start, and I overtook a few riders early on. I felt I had pace, but as the tire pressure increased, it became more difficult to brake and maintain consistency. I had to stay calm and manage the front end. The bike was definitely better than our benchmark from last year, and we've done a great job so far. We had an issue on my second flying lap in Q2, and I had to use the second bike. It was a bit unlucky… but I went even faster, which shows there's still some speed in reserve. We'll see if we can get some slipstreaming tomorrow and go a bit faster.”
Aki Ajo, Team Manager Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “It’s a great feeling to start a new season after a tough winter of work and the preparation of the last few weeks! And, of course, we’re really happy with the win! That goal is always there, even if it was something we perhaps didn’t expect on this circuit. Having two riders in the top six is an excellent result for us. We know Pedro’s potential, but this winter I’ve seen a change in him: a further step in maturity, and he’s consistently working at a very high level. Very happy for Brad too. We made some changes to his structure and working methods at the end of last year, and now we’re starting to see the results. He’s been very solid, and we were aiming for that top-six finish.”
Result of the Sprint at the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix:
Photo credit: Rob Gray (Polarity Photo)
MotoGP Thailand Binder
