The current MotoGP is living in the Ducati era: the Borgo Panigale company triumphed last year with Pecco Bagnaia, returning to the top of the world 15 years after the last title won by Casey Stoner. This year, the Red team is reconfirming itself as a powerhouse and is dominating every classification, from constructors to teams, through to drivers.
The world champion is leader ahead of Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi, second with the Ducati Pramac and third with the GP22 of the Mooney VR46 team respectively. Only four races from the end of 2023, however, the fourth mathematically exited the fight for the title: we are talking about Brad Binder, the only non-Ducati who could still have world championship ambitions. The South African is the best of the KTM representatives this year and has given the most favorites a hard time on several occasions.
Betrayed by track limits more than once, he lost precious podiums (and points), but race after race he confirmed himself as a tough opponent, demonstrating KTM’s great growth. The Mattighofen company, which will be at the starting line next year with the rising star Pedro Acosta among its ranks, is considered one of the major contenders for Ducati and it is thought that between now and the next two years it can become a real and a real reference in MotoGP.
Despite the performances of the Aprilias, which with Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales performed well both in qualifying and in the race, the ranking tells us that Ducati’s first real opponent is KTM itself. The RC16 came close to the podium at Misano also in the hands of Dani Pedrosa, exceptional tester and wild card in the San Marino Grand Prix last September. The last race held so far, that of Buriram, will remain among the best of this season, and the protagonist was Brad Binder himself, who only bowed to the two Ducatis (and to the track limits).
Photo by: KTM Images
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“We haven’t achieved all our goals, but we are still proud of our performance,” Pit Beirer told his colleagues Speedweek. KTM has two successes to its credit this year, the Sprint in Termas and that in Jerez. Victories and podiums have been narrowly missed on some occasions, but the KTM Motorsport Director still feels satisfied with the goals achieved so far.
“We only entered MotoGP in 2017 and now we are Ducati’s biggest opponent, I dare say this. They have set a benchmark, chapeau! But they have eight riders, so their opponents have to ride damn hard if they want to get on the podium or at least get close,” Beirer continues, speaking of Ducati’s excessive power, which he also considers in terms of numbers, with as many as eight bikes on the starting grid.
To date, however, the brand that has most consistently approached Ducati is KTM. This is also demonstrated by the manufacturers’ ranking, which sees the Austrian manufacturer in second place, behind Ducati: “Sometimes we narrowly missed out on the podium in the Asian races, now it worked in Thailand. That’s why we are also deserved second in the brand ranking. We are proud of it, because there are very renowned brands.”
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