Brad Binder Wins KTM’s First Ever MotoGP Race At The 2020 Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky
Author: Myanna Wedes
The 2020 season of MotoGP has been incredible with so many highs, lows and unexpected victors. There is a name that everyone needs to add to their list and it is that of Brad Binder! The team here at Formula Magazine had a good feeling about Binder all weekend and when the race got underway, his performance showcased every reason why KTM signing Binder for 2020 was the right move. The rookie rider has etched his name into stone with this victory and established KTM as a definite contender for the rest of the season to achieve race wins, podiums and solid points. It is a real honour for the South African rider who becomes the first ever “saffa” as they are known to win in MotoGP plus the first since Marc Marquez as a newcomer in his debut season.
BB33:“Honestly, right now, I’m lost for words. I’ve dreamt of this since I was a little boy and today it came true. It is amazing to win my first GP [in MotoGP]. Thank you to everybody who supported me, and the whole team: they put an insane motorcycle beneath me today! I didn’t know if we could win but I knew we would have a go. It was the craziest ten laps of my life at the end. I was being as soft as I could. It was incredible. Unbelievable.” The reward of winning is a team effort and both Pit Beirer and Mike Leitner are ecstatic because their KTM project has proven to be a successful one and not money sent down the drain. If you looked at 2019 with Zarco and how poor the results were, you would not have thought a young talent like Binder was going to put that bike at the front and on top of the podium for all across the globe to witness. Truly, a magnificent race.
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager:“It was amazing today. All weekend we felt quite competitive on this track with good lap-times among the riders and we expected something from the race. Brad had the race pace and Pol was at the same point, and even though we could not be happier we could have had even more from this GP! Miguel also did great to take 6th so in general we are more than happy. We started this project in 2017 and many people have been involved. We built a complete infrastructure in KTM. People in the company had the right mentality because we had to push: we did not have the road racing history of other manufacturers we are competing against. When I look back at these three years there have been ups-and-downs but the pay-off has been unbelievable today. We’ve saw in Jerez – and again here – that we are much closer to the front. On this long, technical track at Brno, and with our different technical philosophy with a steel chassis and WP Suspension, we got the job done and it’s a great payback to every person who has been connected to the project. I’m very happy to give back something to the KTM board for the great investment they made, their 100% belief and our main sponsor who also had full belief in us. Now, we will go to our home Grand Prix now and will work hard from FP1.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director:“For KTM this is an unbelievable day. It’s historic for our company and for the whole team but of course for Brad Binder; who has believed in us and our project for many years. Today is payback for so much hard work. We knew we had a better bike for this year and this did not happen by accident: it came from everything we learned during the last years. With Dani Pedrosa, Mika Kallio and the test team we worked and developed for over a full year to have this bike now. At the end of the day you need a fantastic rider to put the bike on the top step and Brad did it today, and in the same style as he won in Moto3 and Moto2 races for us. It´s an incredible feeling and we will now build on this result. On the other hand, I want to thank Pol Espargaro because also he - together with his crew – brought every piece of the puzzle together to bring this project to the top. Today is the result of a fantastic team effort: at home in Munderfing and Mattighofen, through the test team and a great crew on track.”
It was definitely not the race for Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales, Jack Miller or Andrea Dovizoso. However, it was the race for Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco. We witnessed flashes of the old Zarco, a rider who showcases passion, puts his boots on the line and races with heart. In addition to this, we watched Morbidelli mature on track and lead for a solid amount of time before his tyres pushed him back in to second position. A podium for the team is a great reminder of what the Brazilian/Italian rider is capable of and ‘Uncle Rossi’ is very proud. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT MotoGP rider looked good all weekend and was tipped to perform better than the previous races. No doubt, by showcasing his ability to charge forward and work under pressure, this will help advance his stance within the team especially with Quartararo fighting for the title and then departing for the factory Yamaha suit in 2021. His French teammate struggled all weekend and it was no easy defeat to stomach. The injection of confidence for Morbidelli will booster his race feel and energy for the next event in Austria where the gloves will be off once again.
No MotoGP race is shy of controversy with Zarco and Pol Espargaro hitting one another. Everyone will have a different opinion on what happened between these two, although Zarco did serve his long lap penalty like a pro in order to keep his third place finish which was seriously impressive! For those who missed this, watch the replays back and analyse how he utilises his knee to hold the bike in line whilst accelerating through the long lap penalty. Truly impressive. On one side of the garage you have elation and on the other deflation. At one moment, you could see the steam raging from the Spanish rider’s face whilst Zarco celebrated with a smile. A racing incident? A gap that was worth the risk? A mistake? What do you make of the passing move and crash between the two talented individuals… Should the Esponsorama Racing rider be responsible for the pressure he put on the Spanish rival and forcing errors to then clash. That is the question.
PE44:“It’s unfair but it is racing, and we have to deal with these things. I was behind Brad and watching the others and playing with the maps to be strong at the end. I felt I could make ‘58s in the last laps, so I was trying to be relaxed when the contact happened. I could not show my potential and win the first race for KTM but I’m happy for Brad because he’s a good guy and works hard. We had a real chance today and we’ll hope for another one very soon.”
JZ05:“Fantastic day today, even better than yesterday’s pole position, because a podium means that the race was good. The race was really tough, I didn’t have a good start and it’s a shame because the first five laps I could go faster than Morbidelli did but I had to fight with the group and it was a little bit hard for me. Then I had some contacts but after that I could overtake Fabio and I was well in third position and then I had the penalty because of this contact and the long lap. When I got the information I want to do it immediately to don’t lose my concentration and when I saw that no one overtook me during the long lap I got like a second breathe to catch the podium and thinking ‘if I push well I can be third’ and I was focused on maybe catch Morbidelli. At the end Rins made me to be scared because he was coming strong but in the last sector I could manage well the corners to keep him behind. I’m incredibly happy for the team, thanks to Ducati for the investment they are doing and happy to offer this podium to my team.” No doubt, the result for Zarco will be a bargaining chip for a signature to sign with a team for the following season and a reminder that when his head is in check, the Frenchman can achieve top results even with a tough KTM season and contract in the past.
In terms of true grit and pushing through the pain, Alex Rins did a remarkable job for Team Suzuki Ecstar. It was a demonstration of courage and making the bike work even when not at 100% fitness. Rins is still suffering from a shoulder injury. Regardless, he should be commended for finishing in fourth, chasing other rivals down and pushing even when it was probably not necessary when you look at how much pain he was hiding.
AR42:“I decided not to ride in the morning Warm-Up, except for making a practice start, in order to conserve my shoulder as much as possible. In the race I still felt pain and it was very tough, but I tried to get a good start and I remained focused on the job. Lap by lap I got into a stronger rhythm, even as the tyre life started to drop off. I was determined to get the best position possible, and with this fourth I take a lot of points. The lack of power in my body made it harder to pass my rivals, and I got very close to the podium but I couldn’t quite do the overtake. Anyway, I’m satisfied with the result and the work done.” Every inch of positivity was shed on race day with Rins in comparison to say Vinales who was poor, not up to standard and lacking performance all weekend. Sure, winning a Championship is the key, with that said, you need to be at the front in order to achieve that goal and not be slipping backwards throughout a race.
MV12: “I think this is my worst result with Yamaha. I don’t know what happened, honestly. This morning I felt great and I was hitting good lap times, also on used tires. But in the race I couldn’t keep the pace, not even for one lap. I just lost a lot of grip since the beginning, and little by little it got worse and worse. It was very difficult to ride the bike. The only thing that I could do was try to finish and try to take some points. If I had risked more I might have scored zero, and that would have been a mistake. So we took two very valuable points today and, on the bright side, the leader of the championship also didn’t do great today, so this lessens the damage. We have to check the data and try to be fast again in Austria.” It was a genuine surprise to see both Vinales and Miller at the middle to back of the pack considering their levels of capability and ferocity in the first two events. In particular, you had a sate little Ducati and two Yamaha’s ahead at the very minimum who were more confident, faster and smooth around the Brno circuit. Regardless of the criticism of the circuit surface, there were still riders like Binder who excelled!
With Austria up next and two races, anything can happen. Marc Marquez is still recovering, Pecco Bagnia fractured his tibia and required an operation, DesmoDovi is riding for his career in a way and others looking to capitalise on the strange 2020 season. We have our eyes on Binder to create shockwaves once again throughout the paddock as his riding style is loose, smooth, calculated and fun to watch. For those who are race fans like us, watch the replays of how the rookie rider slides that KTM around the circuit, it is beautiful to watch and a reminder for Marquez that he has another new rival in addition to Quartararo. “Top Gun” Vinales has work to do and it must be completed quick smart otherwise he will be left behind watching in frustration and disbelief at the results from those around him. The time clock is ticking!
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