Termas de Rio Hondo welcomed the MotoGP riders with uncertain weather, and you know, in these conditions, Brad Binder should never be underestimated. The South African always manages to find the edge and, after a disappointing qualifying that saw him start only from 15th on the grid, he gave KTM their first victory of the season. A lightning start in the Sprint Race took him to the top positions right away, within a few corners he took the lead and didn’t let it go until the checkered flag.
As the laps went by, he built up a lead which was reduced in a few corners when there were only a few kilometers left to go to the finish line. Binder won the short race in Argentina with only 0.072 ahead of an aggressive Marco Bezzecchi, in great shape and determined to win. It was not possible for the Mooney VR46 rider, who bowed to the solidity of the KTM rider, in great shape today.
It is said that in the current MotoGP, starting up front helps. Binder is the exception that proves the rule, because winning from 15th on the grid is currently a difficult feat. The South African himself said he was surprised at what he accomplished on Saturday in Argentina: “The start was really incredible, I honestly didn’t expect it. Everything went really according to plan today, I was able to make a great start, saw the possibility of taking the lead and decided to take it. I decided that I had to fight to stay in front and with my pace I was able to stay ahead until the end”.
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Towards the end I could hear the others coming, so I really had to grit my teeth, but I’m very happy and I really didn’t expect it. I have to thank my team so much for the incredible work done, now let’s see how to manage it tomorrow”, said Binder talking about the last few laps. In fact, in the final he saw himself undermined by Bezzecchi, only to then bring home the win: “The last three laps were difficult, I started having some problems locking up front, it was difficult to brake. So I had to try to keep my nerve not to make a mistake. I could hear them approaching, especially on the forehand, it was really very difficult, I had to concentrate on trying to finish first, but we did it!”.
What will surely remain impressed is the incredible starting point obtained by Binder and the progression that led him to find himself in the top positions right from the first corner: “The idea was to get to the first corner as soon as possible and I managed to find a free part of the track. This made all the difference. It’s definitely the best start I’ve ever had, if I can start even half as well tomorrow that would be fantastic!”.
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