Brad takes thrilling win in Jerez Sprint Race
MotoGP landed at the sweltering Circuit de Jerez – Angel Nieto for one of the loudest, busiest and hottest European dates on the calendar and the fourth round of the current season. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing surged temperatures further as Brad Binder and Jack Miller duelled at the front of the field for Sprint victory and Brad spectacularly earned his second win of the year while Miller finished 3rd.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team showcased three riders for round four of the series and for the well-known narrow asphalt of the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. The track offered a hot spring climate and saw a bumper crowd pack into the facility from Saturday morning. Turn 6 of the layout, named ‘Dani Pedrosa’, was rounded by the actual Red Bull KTM test rider who joined Brad and teammate Jack Miller for his second MotoGP wildcard outing since full-time retirement from racing at the end of 2018.
The squad got busy with their program that saw Brad and Jack (both previous winners at Jerez in multiple categories) located in Q2 positions on Friday. After the morning qualification Brad had to make it through Q1, but both racers defied tricky conditions in the wake of a brief rain shower to storm Q2. Miller momentarily held Pole Position and was only outdone in the final seconds by one rider. The Australian ranked 2nd and less than a tenth of a second faster than Brad who was 4th: the 2-4 combo representing KTM’s best team qualification effort.
The 12-lap Sprint was a KTM spectacle. Brad and Jack disputed the lead and were rarely separated by more than half a second. Brad’s move into Turn 6 was enough to provide the break he needed for his second ’12 points’ of the term.
MotoGP gets underway at the slightly delayed hour of 15.00 CEST and with a promising 25-lap frantic fare promised for Sunday.
Brad Binder
“I knew starting from the second row we had good chance of being in the fight. I felt great today and it is so good to walk away this afternoon with another victory. Jack did a great job to pull us away at the beginning but I started to struggle with the front tire pressure increasing and I knew I needed to make a move when the front end was locking-up. It’s incredible to take another victory and I want to say thanks to my team, Dani and the test team and the whole of Red Bull KTM for giving us such an amazing and competitive package. Hopefully there is a lot more to come from us this season.”