Brad Binder Happy With What He Got - Nearly Binned At On the back straight
Categories: MotoGP
After what was a messy and rain struck qualifying saturday in Motegi, Brad Binder is happy with what he got – a first front row start in MotoGP.
Whenever there is a rainy session, whether it is a race or any other session, Brad Binder automatically jumps into mind as one to watch – this also applied to the qualifying session on saturday.
Jumping ahead: Brad Binder – Image provided by Motorsport Images
As FP3 was cut due to the extreme weather conditions during and after Moto2 Q2, the South-African prequalified for the second qualifying session.
Although it being his first ever session in Motegi on a MotoGP bike, Binder put a decent enough time on the board in FP1.
He later stated: “It is my first race weekend here on a MotoGP bike. Obviously it is my third season but it is the first time I have been to a flyaway.”
“I am quite comfortable with what I have. We know where we need to improve but we also have some strong points.”
Brad Binder is on fire at the moment – Image provided by Motorsport Images
In the end, an incredible qualifying session for the factory KTM rider emerged. Having slightly bottled his second to last lap in the third sector, Binder set out for a last lap shootout.
“In the last lap I took a huge amount of risk just to see if I could find the limit and almost threw it away at the end of the back straight.”
“I braked way too late and had a lot of locking on the front but I managed to stay on the track and bring it around,” Binder explained his near disaster.
Despite his small mistake, he will start a great third on the grid on sunday. For Binder, it will be the first front row start in MotoGP.
First ever MotoGP front row for @BradBinder_33! 🙌🥉🙌#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/SOSg2Z5JMJ
— Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (@KTM_Racing) September 24, 2022
For sunday’s race the South African seems eager to keep up his tradition of making up places when it matters, even though this time he’s already starting at the front.
“We’ll give it a full send at the beginning and then see how well we can manage [the race],” promises Binder after his successful qualifying performance.
