Brad Binder retires on miserable weekend for SA riders in Texas

Brad Binder was forced to retire his RC16 due to electrical issues on Sunday after being well set for Red Bull KTM’s first top-five finish of the season in Austin, Texas.

It was the last straw for the South African contingent on a disappointing weekend at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Binder’s younger brother Darryn was ruled out of the Moto2 race after suffering a hand fracture on Saturday, while Moto3 rider Ruché Moodley missed out on the points by less than two tenths of a second.

The main MotoGP race produced its fair share of drama as race leader Marc Marquez eventually threw in the towel after a crash. His Ducati factory team-mate Pecco Bagnaia went on the win, followed by Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio. Alex Marquez (87 points) now leads the title race, followed by Marc (86) and Bagnaia (75).

Brad Binder praises improvement

After failing to score points in the sprint race on Saturday, Binder left the United States without adding to his tally of 19 points. He has now dropped from seventh to 11th in the title race, yet he remains the leading KTM rider.

“We had an electrical issue and had to stop. Really unfortunately because we would have been guaranteed a top five,” Binder told the KTM website.

“From yesterday to today we made an important step forward. The bike was a lot more how I wanted it. Hats-off to my team.”

ALSO READ: Brad Binder: Brilliant on a bike, but ‘useless’ at braaiing

Main race chaos

The main race, which was declared a wet race, was shorted by one lap to 19 laps. A host of riders who opted for wet configuration sprinted back to the pits to change for dry weather bikes. This brought out the red flag which delayed the start.

Binder, who opted for dry tyres from the get-go, made a great start from 16th on the grid. He worked his way up to a very comfortable fifth place before his retirement on lap 13.

ALSO READ: Brad Binder: Seventh place as good as it was going to be

Earlier Moodley put in a good shift after starting a lowly 22nd on the grid. The Denssi Racing/BOE rider flirted with a points finish late in the race. He eventually missed out by a mere 0.18 seconds what could have been his third straight points finish.

Darryn under the knife

Darryn Binder was set to have surgery on his left hand yesterday after being declared unfit to race at COTA. The Gresini Moto2 rider broke the middle metacarpal in his left hand during qualifying on Saturday.

The next stop on the MotoGP calendar is Qatar from 11 to 13 April.