Brad Binder was considered at the beginning of the season as one of the title contenders in MotoGP for this season but the truth is that he has been slow to show himself, for now and after five rounds, as one of the riders living up to the expectations placed on him by the betting house.
Although he has, more than once, stated before the GPs that he is ‘in a better position’, and feels that he ‘can do something’, the truth is that he has not had an easy life, even facing many difficulties or some unexpected events happening regularly.
The season started well, with a double second place in Qatar, after being fourth in qualifying, which left the KTM officials highly motivated and even MotoGP fans in general, seeing a KTM performing strongly in the “reign” of Ducati but… what about Portugal, in the second round?
The South African was tenth in qualifying, fell in the Sprint – one of his specialties in 2023 and a championship model that he is a self-proclaimed fan of – and then, he was fourth in the Sunday race and proved that the fall on Saturday was just that, a setback.
Next came the round in Austin and the worst qualifying up to that point, being 17th, and it was expected that he would suffer in the races. In the Sprint, he was 12th, and in the long race, Binder, who is considered by many as a “beast” in races, where he often presents surprising performances and his true level, finished ninth.
Back to the European rounds, Binder had in Spain, at the Jerez circuit, a round that showed his level better and his best qualification so far, being the fourth fastest in Q2. He would fall in the Sprint hours later, but that didn’t shake his confidence and he finished sixth in the long race.
However, things didn’t go well in Le Mans and right in the qualification: he had an electronic problem with his bike and, when he tried to go out to attack the times near the end, a series of crashes conditioned his laps given the yellow flags. He was 22nd and it was immediately expected that the difficulties would be greater than ever!
In the Sprint, he was 15th and missed out on points, while the next day he once again showed why many say that #33 is a ‘man of Sundays’, finishing eighth despite having problems with chattering with his KTM RC16 and experiencing grip issues on the track.
And now the question arises: what to expect in Catalonia? The circuit lacks grip, something that has been a challenge for Binder, with him even stating that the next GP ‘is not a good memory’, although he was fourth in the Sprint in 2023.
One thing is certain, Binder is a rider of more work and fewer words, with him stating that the next GP could be a pleasant surprise. Follow everything on Motorcycle Sports, in a few days, where we will find out how the South African can return (or not) to stardom in MotoGP!
