Brad closes his Assen weekend with a sixth place finish in hectic main race
Round eight of 2024 MotoGP world championship was the first of two Grand Prix fixtures in a row and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing closed their efforts at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands with a top six finish, courtesy of Brad Binder’s concerted push for maximum points.
As is the custom in this part of the world, a large and dedicated crowd of MotoGP fans arrived to the flat and famous layout of the TT Circuit Assen for what was the 75th Grand Prix to have been held around the Dutch course. In contrast to Friday and Saturday, the weather was overcast and cool as MotoGP ignited into another ‘double header’.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing assumed 9th and 14th positions on the start grid and aimed to make their usual fiery getaways. The narrow but fast trajectory of the track demanded both stability and high agility for maximum speed and it was Brad who could find the most out of the KTM RC16 package. Choosing a soft tire option, he throttled his way into the mid-top ten and then had to maintain his pace through a long and strategic race. The South African secured nine points for 7th by the flag after a lonely outing and was elevated to 6th after Marc Marquez’s sanction.
It’s on to the Sachsenring, Germany next week and another Grand Prix that usually boasts a sellout attendance and with a deep legacy stretching back to the first decades of FIM World Championship history.
Brad Binder
“Quite a hectic race. I decided to go with the soft rear tire because I felt there might be more potential to go with the boys in front but the reality was that they could put down a super-fast pace with the medium and we just burnt the tire to go with them. It was tricky, for sure. I would have liked to have walked away with a better result but I left nothing on the table. We have some work to do. My feeling is not terrible. I understand the front limit and I didn’t crash at all this weekend. We just need to find more speed.”