Brad Binder qualified fifth in Buriram and took second place in the Sprint, before fighting hard for victory with Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia in Sunday’s race.
After briefly taking the lead during the Grand Prix, Binder crossed the finish line 0.114 seconds behind Martin at the checkered flag, only to be relegated to third place for exceeding track limits on the final lap. .
It was Binder’s first Grand Prix podium since the Austrian GP in August, and the South African admitted he was spurred on by his country’s victory against New Zealand in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final.
“I woke up this morning, saw that South Africa had won the Rugby World Cup and felt a bit like it was all or nothing,” Binder said after Sunday’s game.
“I gave it my all, I have to be honest. Jorge did an incredible job, I did my best to keep up with him and manage my rear tire. I think I did exactly that.”
“But the moment I passed him I realized that the rear tire was dropping a little bit. It was difficult. Honestly, on the last lap I said to myself: ‘I’m very, very close, I can put my wheel there and do it.”
“At turn 4 the front tire was a little hotter than usual, I had a small lock-up and I went wide, ending up touching the green. It’s never nice to lose a position, but in the end I’m still on the podium, I gave the best and I can’t complain.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Binder added that he knew he had exceeded the track limits, but did not give up the final assault on Martin.
“I tried to brake late and pass,” noted Binder, who missed out on a podium at Assen for exceeding track limits on the final lap. “First I braked a little longer and when I opened the throttle I took the weight off the front tire.”
“So, I tried to rebalance the situation but I hit the green. So, it wasn’t ideal, but at the end of the day I tried to fight anyway, I tried to pass because I knew I would lose a position.”
“So at least if I had gotten through, it would have been a second place and not a third place.”
For the South African, however, it was a performance worth remembering, because he distanced himself by 17 seconds from the second KTM, that of his teammate Jack Miller, 16th at the finish line.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Michelin’s stiffer rear tire casing, brought to Thailand to address high-temperature demands, has caused traction problems for most KTMs.
Binder admitted that his bike wasn’t “perfect”, but found the RC16 to have “some strengths”.
“I already knew from the previous laps that my best chances were in the third sector, because that was where I felt I had something more,” he said when asked where he could overtake Martin on the final lap.
“But I tried anyway. I touched the green, but today it wasn’t meant to be. But the thing I’m very happy about is that in the race things weren’t perfect, but I understood that we have some strengths that I can exploit to the best”.
“And if we can make our weaknesses a little stronger, I think we can do well.”
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