Brad takes superb second at Motegi

Brad Binder again showed his pure racer’s creed by taking his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 to an excellent runner-up status at a sunny and warm Mobility Resort Motegi circuit for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan.

Round sixteen of the current MotoGP series transported the world championship from Spain directly to Motegi and the first circulations of the Japanese course since 2019. The Grand Prix was affected by rain and humid conditions during practice and qualification, which saw Brad Binder excel in Q2 to place 3rd in the classification and start from the front row of the grid for the first time in his young MotoGP career.

Sunday presented a different challenge as the skies cleared to be replaced by sunshine. The switch of climate meant a change of setup for the teams and riders and a degree of tire choice guesswork for the 24-lap race in mid-afternoon.

As he did in Aragon last week, Brad made a lively getaway and swept into the lead around the first corner. He had little answer to the speed of future teammate Jack Miller but produced a remarkable overtaking move on Jorge Martin through Turn 1 on the last lap to seize P2, equaling his best result so far in 2022.

MotoGP continues its intense run of events with round seventeen taking place next weekend at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram for the OR Thailand Grand Prix.

Brad Binder:

“I’m really, really happy to be back on the podium today. I pushed as hard as I could right from the beginning. I had a few moments with the hard rear tire and it took me a while to find my confidence but in the end we made a good choice because I became more comfortable and could find my braking markers better. It was so difficult to pass Jorge but I arrived at that point on the last lap right at the perfect time in Turn 1. Thank you so much to my team: they all deserve this podium and we have all worked hard for this.”