MotoGP, Binder: “I’ll no longer settle for fourth place”

When you think of Brad Binder, it’s hard not to associate him with KTM colours. The upcoming season marks the South African’s tenth year with the Austrian brand, his fifth in MotoGP, the rider set to continue building on his performance after finishing fourth overall last season (first among the non-Ducatis). Brad is expected to be among those battling for the win in 2024 and, with an increasingly competitive RC16, it would be no surprise to see him consistently inside the top three.

 

Binder: “I’m aiming for Top 3, I have a great team behind me”

“I think 2024 can be a great year for me”, comments the South African. “I was fast in 2023, but also too inconsistent, with weekends where I did well and others where I struggled more than expected, so now I want more than fourth place overall, finishing the championship in the top three, winning as many races as possible and showing good consistency”.

As we’ve said this will be Brad’s tenth season with KTM: “It’s crazy to race with the same team for an entire decade. We’ve had some fantastic years, but also tough times that we’ve got through together. Now the goal on both sides is to reach the top in MotoGP, also because even if this might look like an individual sport, it’s impossible to win without a great team behind you. I’m lucky in this way, because I can count on an extraordinary team. We’ve already won a world title together (in Moto3 in 2016) and now we want to do it in the reigning class”.

 

“We need to be quick right from practice”

Looking ahead to the year’s schedule, with more than 40 races on the calendar, it’s going to be an intense one for everybody, but Binder is optimistic: “With more than 40 GP and Sprint races in all, it will be a very tough year both physically and mentally. But to be honest I don’t mind, also because I was really strong in the Sprints in 2023 and think that, combined with the work of the guys at KTM, we can do even more in the long races too.”

“What makes race weekends tough is the lack of sessions in which to get familiar with the track, because with this format you need to push to the max right from Friday, immediately prepping for the races. You can’t risk not getting straight through to Q2, because the starting position is key today in MotoGP. But I’m ready to give in my all in every session”, concludes the 28-year old, no longer an outsider but a sure thing.