Brad Binder of South Africa and Red Bull KTM Ajo and Remy Gardner of Australia and Onexox Tkkr Sag compete during the Austrian MotoGp in Spielberg, Austria on August 11, 2019 Photo: Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
Binder claims Austrian Moto2 Grand Prix win on his birthday
Brad Binder has given KTM a home win in the Moto2 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in
Spielberg on Sunday 11 August, a day that is also his 24th birthday.
Brad Binder of South Africa and Red Bull KTM Ajo and Remy Gardner of Australia and Onexox Tkkr Sag compete during the Austrian MotoGp in Spielberg, Austria on August 11, 2019 Photo: Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
South African rider Brad Binder celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday 11 August with a brilliant win in the Austrian Moto2 Grand Prix.
Binder, who will ride for KTM Red Bull’s MotoGP team next season, snapped a lengthy run without a win that stretched back to the Australian Grand Prix in October 2018.
The 2016 Moto3 Champion took the chequered flag 0.330 seconds ahead of Championship leader Alex Marquez. The result moved Binder up to seventh in the Championship while Marquez stretched his advantage over Swiss rider Thomas Luthi who came home in sixth.
“I can’t imagine a better day than winning on my birthday at KTM’s home track,” Binder said.
Binder’s KTM to pull out of Moto2
Binder’s KTM team announced today that they will be withdrawing from the Moto2 class to focus resources on MotoGP. KTM are currently third in the Moto2 Constructor’s Championship.
The move to pull out of Moto2 is part of Red Bull Racing’s seven-year vision of conquering MotoGP. Binder’s promotion to the elite of division of Motorcycle racing is also part of that vision. He has been with Red Bull for much of his professional career and has been content to have his fate intertwined with the Austrian team.
“We made a proactive decision here at our home grand prix to renew our stay in MotoGP and commit to another five years of competition.
“This is part of a wider strategic view and we now have seven years to rise towards the top of the MotoGP class; the same period of time we needed to conquer the Dakar Rally,” KTM CEO Stefan Pierer announced.
KTM will remain active in Moto3, where Binder made a name for himself, as they see that as the foundation of their racing team.
“We want to boost Moto3: it is the foundation and the base of road racing for us,” Pierer said. “It is where we began and where we are one of the leading brands.
“We see a very good opportunity here by bringing back Husqvarna with force; there will be a new bike and a special direction with this project. All of this movement means we will pool our resources and energy and as a consequence we will step out of Moto2.”
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