Brad Binder

Last updated

Brad Binder
Brad Binder at the 2023 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix.jpg
Binder at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix
NationalitySouth African
Born (1995-08-11) 11 August 1995 (age 29)
Potchefstroom, South Africa
Current team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Bike number33
Website Brad Binder 33
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years 2020–
Manufacturers KTM
Championships 0
2023 championship position4th (293 pts)
StartsWinsPodiums Poles F. laps Points
7421104761
Moto2 World Championship
Active years 2017–2019
Manufacturers KTM
Championships 0
2019 championship position2nd (259 pts)
StartsWinsPodiums Poles F. laps Points
5281513585
Moto3 World Championship
Active years 2012–2016
Manufacturers Kalex KTM (2012)
Suter Honda (2013)
Mahindra (2013–2014)
KTM (2015–2016)
Championships 1 (2016)
2016 championship position1st (319 pts)
StartsWinsPodiums Poles F. laps Points
8872067677
125cc World Championship
Active years 2011
Manufacturers Aprilia
Championships 0
2011 championship positionNC (0 pts)
StartsWinsPodiums Poles F. laps Points
500000

Brad Binder (born 11 August 1995) is a South African Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He is most-known for winning the 2016 Moto3 World Championship. In November 2019 he was confirmed as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider in MotoGP class for the 2020 season, [1] replacing Johann Zarco who had abandoned his factory ride earlier during that year.

Contents

Previously, he had competed in the Moto2 class during 2019, with the Ajo KTM team, [1] finishing the championship in second place. Prior to moving up into Grand Prix level, Binder contested three seasons of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, with a best finish of fifth overall in the championship standings.

At the 2016 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix in Jerez, Binder became the first South African to win a motorcycle Grand Prix since Jon Ekerold won the 350 cc class at the 1981 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix. From 2017, Binder raced in the Moto2 class having agreed to a deal with Ajo Motorsport. [2]

Binder's younger brother Darryn is also a motorcycle racer, and competed alongside Binder in Moto3 in both 2015 and 2016.

Binder became the first, and so far, the only South African to win a MotoGP championship race at the 2020 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix, also becoming the first rider to win with KTM in the premier class, as well as being the first rookie to win in MotoGP since Marc Márquez at the 2013 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas.

Career

Early career

He began his motorsports career in go-karting in 2003. In 2005, he switched to two wheels, immediately winning several titles in the 50cc, 125cc and 150cc categories. In 2008, he made his international debut, competing in the Aprilia Superteens Series, a British competition. In his first race he finished in second place, but in the second race he crashed. In 2009, he raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup finishing 14th, in 2010 he finished 5th, and in 2011, he finished 7th.

125cc/Moto3 World Championship

RW Racing GP (2011–2012)

Binder started his Grand Prix career in the 125cc class riding an Aprilia for RW Racing GP in the 2011 season with his bike number as 14. Binder finished the season pointless, with his best position being a 17th place in Indianapolis.

In 2012, he switched to the Kalex KTM with his bike number changed to 41. Binder's first Moto3 point came at the 2012 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix. 2012 was a crash-filled season for Binder, with seven crashes. Binder scored four times in the season, with his best result of fourth place coming in Valencia. He finished the season at 21st place with 24 points.

Abrogio Racing (2013–2014)

In 2013, Binder switched from Kalex KTM to Suter Honda and later to Mahindra with the team Ambrogio Racing. 2013 was a consistent year for Binder; he scored in 14 out of the 18 races, his best result being a fourth place at Spain; he finished the final standings at 13th place with 66 points. In 2014, he improved with 2 podiums to 11th place.

Red Bull KTM Ajo (2015–2016)

In 2015, Binder again switched teams to the KTM factory-supported Ajo Motorsport. His first season on the new machine was largely positive with regular points finishes and 4 podiums leading to an overall 6th place finish.

Binder in 2016 Brad Binder 2016.jpg
Binder in 2016

In the 2016 season, he built on this success with 7 wins and 14 podiums en route to his first world championship, with a 142 point margin over 2nd place.

Moto2 World Championship

Red Bull KTM Ajo (2017–2019)

2017

In 2017, Binder moved up to the Moto2 class, continuing with Red Bull KTM Ajo. In his first season he achieved 3 podiums on the way to 8th place in the riders' standings; despite having an injury and being forced to miss a few rounds.

2018

In 2018, Binder improved with 3 wins and consistent points finishes to achieve 3rd place in the championship.

2019

In 2019, after a difficult start to the season for KTM with the new Triumph engine, Binder took 5 wins and 9 podiums to finish in 2nd place as the best KTM rider, just 3 points off champion Álex Márquez.

MotoGP World Championship

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2020–present)

2020
Binder racing in 2020 Brad Binder 2020 European GP (cropped).jpg
Binder racing in 2020

Binder made his MotoGP debut with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in the 2020 season. [1] Binder won his first MotoGP race at the third round of the season in Brno. This was also the first race win for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in the premier class. [3]

2021

Binder, along with KTM, had a rough start to the 2021 season. Despite this, he maintained top ten positions and got into the top 5 four times, with two 5th places at Portimao and Mugello and two 4th place finishes at Sachsenring and Assen.

Binder scored a surprise home track victory for KTM at the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix when, with 5 laps remaining and rain beginning to fall, he decided to take the chance of finishing the race on slicks while most other leading riders chose to pit and swap to motorcycles fitted with wet tires. The gamble paid off and despite extremely slick conditions and mostly ineffective brakes due to the wet and cold track surface, he was able to withstand a late charge by Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia and win the race.

2022

Binder stayed with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for a third consecutive season for the 2022 World Championship. [4] He started off the year with an overachieving 2nd place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix. [5] From then on, Brad has been a consistent top 10 finisher, with a tendency to perform better in race trim than in qualifying trim, as has been the case with his teammate Miguel Oliveira. [6] He attained his first ever top 3 qualifying result in MotoGP at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, which he followed up with his second podium finish of the season, in 2nd position.

2023

Binder signed a contract with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in June 2021, to remain with the team for the 2023 World Championship and 2024. [7] He showed his class by winning the Sprint race in Argentina (2023) at the 2nd race of the season coming from 15th on the grid. [8]

On the weekend of the 2023 Austrian round, Binder extended his contract, which keeps him there until the end of 2026. [9]

Career statistics

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year1234567891011121314PosPts
2009 SPA1
13		 SPA2
10		 ITA
Ret		 NED
16		 GER
Ret		 GBR
15		 CZE1
11		 CZE2
14		14th17
2010 SPA1
4		 SPA2
Ret		 ITA
3		 NED1
7		 NED2
7		 GER1
2		 GER2
2		 CZE1
7		 CZE2
4		 RSM
Ret		5th109
2011 SPA1
2		 SPA2
Ret		 POR1
1		 POR2
17		 GBR1
15		 GBR2
Ret		 NED1
10		 NED2
20		 ITA
10		 GER1
2		 GER2
9		 CZE1
12		 CZE2
10		 RSM
Ret		7th95

CEV Buckler Moto3 Championship

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearBike1234567PosPts
2012 Suter Honda JER NAV ARA CAT ALB1 ALB2 VAL
1		17th25

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season

SeasonClassMotorcycleTeamRaceWinPodium Pole FLapPtsPlcdWCh
2011 125cc Aprilia RW Racing GP500000NC–
Andalucía Banca Cívica
2012 Moto3 Kalex KTM RW Racing GP1700002421st–
2013 Moto3 Suter Honda Ambrogio Racing1100004613th–
Mahindra 6000020
2014 Moto3 Mahindra Ambrogio Racing18020110911th–
2015 Moto3 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 1804031596th–
2016 Moto3 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 18714633191st1
2017 Moto2 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 1503021258th–
2018 Moto2 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 1833112013rd–
2019 Moto2 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 1959002592nd–
2020 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1411028711th–
2021 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1811001516th–
2022 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2003011886th–
2023 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2005012934th–
2024 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 150100203*5th*–
Total232174671420661

By class

ClassSeasons1st GP1st Pod1st WinRaceWinPodiums Pole FLapPtsWChmp
125cc2011 2011 Indianapolis 5000000
Moto32012–2016 2012 Qatar 2014 Japan 2016 Spain 88720676771
Moto22017–2019 2017 Qatar 2017 Australia 2018 Germany 52815135850
MotoGP2020–present 2020 Spain 2020 Czech Republic 2020 Czech Republic 74211047610
Total2011–present219174671420231

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearClassBike1234567891011121314151617181920PosPts
2011 125cc Aprilia QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED ITA GER CZE INP
17		 RSM ARA JPN
20		 AUS
21		 MAL
Ret		 VAL
Ret		NC0
2012 Moto3 Kalex KTM QAT
Ret		 SPA
Ret		 POR
11		 FRA
Ret		 CAT
Ret		 GBR
17		 NED
20		 GER
Ret		 ITA
24		 INP
Ret		 CZE
20		 RSM
16		 ARA
16		 JPN
Ret		 MAL
12		 AUS
14		 VAL
4		21st24
2013 Moto3 Suter Honda QAT
12		 AME
9		 SPA
4		 FRA
8		 ITA
14		 CAT
12		 NED
15		 GER
9		 INP
Ret		 CZE
Ret		 GBR
Ret		13th66
Mahindra RSM
18		 ARA
12		 MAL
11		 AUS
15		 JPN
10		 VAL
12
2014 Moto3 Mahindra QAT
15		 AME
Ret		 ARG
14		 SPA
Ret		 FRA
14		 ITA
9		 CAT
6		 NED
9		 GER
2		 INP
9		 CZE
6		 GBR
15		 RSM
6		 ARA
8		 JPN
3		 AUS
15		 MAL
Ret		 VAL
9		11th109
2015 Moto3 KTM QAT
10		 AME
5		 ARG
5		 SPA
3		 FRA
Ret		 ITA
10		 CAT
9		 NED
7		 GER
7		 INP
8		 CZE
3		 GBR
Ret		 RSM
5		 ARA
Ret		 JPN
17		 AUS
3		 MAL
2		 VAL
4		6th159
2016 Moto3 KTM QAT
2		 ARG
3		 AME
3		 SPA
1		 FRA
1		 ITA
1		 CAT
2		 NED
12		 GER
8		 AUT
2		 CZE
Ret		 GBR
1		 RSM
1		 ARA
2		 JPN
2		 AUS
1		 MAL
17		 VAL
1		1st319
2017 Moto2 KTM QAT
20		 ARG
9		 AME SPA FRA ITA
10		 CAT
17		 NED
13		 GER
7		 CZE
12		 AUT
7		 GBR
9		 RSM
4		 ARA
5		 JPN
Ret		 AUS
2		 MAL
2		 VAL
3		8th125
2018 Moto2 KTM QAT
6		 ARG
Ret		 AME
6		 SPA
6		 FRA
9		 ITA
6		 CAT
6		 NED
7		 GER
1		 CZE
6		 AUT
6		 GBR
C		 RSM
8		 ARA
1		 THA
4		 JPN
5		 AUS
1		 MAL
8		 VAL
Ret		3rd201
2019 Moto2 KTM QAT
12		 ARG
6		 AME
Ret		 SPA
5		 FRA
4		 ITA
15		 CAT
11		 NED
2		 GER
2		 CZE
Ret		 AUT
1		 GBR
3		 RSM
6		 ARA
1		 THA
2		 JPN
12		 AUS
1		 MAL
1		 VAL
1		2nd259
2020 MotoGP KTM SPA
13		 ANC
Ret		 CZE
1		 AUT
4		 STY
8		 RSM
12		 EMI
Ret		 CAT
11		 FRA
12		 ARA
11		 TER
Ret		 EUR
7		 VAL
5		 POR
Ret		11th87
2021 MotoGP KTM QAT
14		 DOH
8		 POR
5		 SPA
Ret		 FRA
13		 ITA
5		 CAT
8		 GER
4		 NED
12		 STY
4		 AUT
1		 GBR
6		 ARA
7		 RSM
9		 AME
9		 EMI
11		 ALR
10		 VAL
7		6th151
2022 MotoGP KTM QAT
2		 INA
8		 ARG
6		 AME
12		 POR
Ret		 SPA
10		 FRA
8		 ITA
7		 CAT
8		 GER
7		 NED
5		 GBR
11		 AUT
7		 RSM
8		 ARA
4		 JPN
2		 THA
10		 AUS
10		 MAL
8		 VAL
2		6th188
2023 MotoGP KTM POR
6		 ARG
171		 AME
135		 SPA
21		 FRA
62		 ITA
5		 GER
Ret6		 NED
45		 GBR
39		 AUT
22		 CAT
Ret4		 RSM
145		 IND
44		 JPN
Ret2		 INA
6		 AUS
4		 THA
32		 MAL
Ret5		 QAT
57		 VAL
32		4th293
2024 MotoGP KTM QAT
22		 POR
4		 AME
9		 SPA
6		 FRA
8		 CAT
8		 ITA
106		 NED
66		 GER
98		 GBR
Ret4		 AUT
57		 ARA
46		 RSM
47		 EMI
196		 INA
8		 JPN
6		 AUS
7		 THA
69		 MAL
DNS7		 VAL 6th*206*

* Season still in progress.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 KTM 2020 shake-up: Binder to factory MotoGP team, Lecuona Tech3 crash.net, 24 October 2019, Retrieved 21 November 2019
  2. ↑ "Red Bull KTM Ajo take on Moto2 in 2017". Dorna Sports. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Duncan, Lewis (9 August 2020). "Czech Republic MotoGP: Binder stuns for KTM to take maiden win at Brno". Autosport.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "2022 MotoGP World Championship - Final rider line-up". Crash. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Post, Janine Van der. "SA's Brad Binder starts 2022 MotoGP season with a stellar performance, takes 2nd place". Wheels. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "'The others make a bigger step' - can KTM 'figure out' qualifying?". Crash. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Duncan, Lewis (1 June 2021). "Binder keeps KTM MotoGP ride through to 2024". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "2023 MotoGP rider line-up: Full team and rider line-ups confirmed". crash.net. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Binder ties long-term MotoGP future to Red Bull KTM". www.motogp.com. Dorna Sports. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
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