Brad Binder will have to dip deep in the coming months if he has any hopes of extending his MotoGP career after 2026.
The Red Bull KTM rider improved slightly at the United States Grand Prix at the weekend after his blowout in Brazil a week before, but could still only muster up 12th place in both the sprint and main race. Binder earned four points for his efforts at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) to move up to 17 points, but has dropped to 12th in the title race.
In stark contrast, his team-mate Pedro Acosta finished third on in Austin on Sunday and is also third in the title race on 60 points. The Spaniard put up a valiant effort against the high-flying Aprilia pair of Marco Bezzecchi (81 points) and Jorge Martin (77). Bezzecchi joined the premier class elite by winning his fifth consecutive race, while also setting a record for consecutive laps led of 121.
Brad Binder has homework to do
“Two 12th places are nowhere near good enough. We have some serious homework to do to be better for Jerez,” Binder told the KTM website after the race.
The 2016 Moto3 world champion is still without a contract for next season. He told The Citizen Motoring at the start of the season that the first “five to eight races” will be crucial in his bid for a contract renewal.
Binder also stressed the importance of finding one-lap speed during qualification. He started the season well by going straight through to Q2 in Thailand to qualify in 11th place, but since then he had to settle for 21st and 18th on the grid in Brazil and in Austin.
Moodley misses points by a whisker
“I just couldn’t find any pace all weekend. I had chatter at the beginning and became more and more, especially on full lean and I wasn’t expecting that,” he added.
Moto3 rider Ruché Moodley came agonisingly close to scoring his first points of the season at COTA. The teenager finished in 16th place, missing out on the last points position by less than second.
The next stop on the MotoGP calendar is in Jerez at the end of April.
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