The British Grand Prix was dry, cold and action-packed to revive 2023 MotoGP after the summer break. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing left the wide expanses of the Silverstone circuit with a podium vibe thanks to Brad Binder’s 3rd position at round nine of twenty.
Brad Binder was one of the few riders to select a medium tire choice for the long 20-lap Grand Prix that took place under cloudy and threatening skies. The South African, who started from 10th on the grid, used the potential of the KTM RC16 race package to work up from the reaches of the top ten (caused by contact with another rider into the first corner) to be part of the quartet striving for P1. Proceedings were complicated by light showers that dowsed the first and last sectors of the hefty 5.9km layout in Silverstone but Binder – with famous previous form when it comes to exploring the limits of slick tires in rainy conditions – kept in the dispute for trophies.
Brad made his move past Maverick Viñales for P3 and defended the position and the 16 points until the flag. He was just half a second from winner Aleix Espargaro. The result delivers Binder’s second podium of 2023 and means he is 36 points from the top three of the championship standings.
Brad Binder, 3rd: “Really tricky, and very sketchy at the end! This track is so big and covers so much space that it was wet in some sectors and dry in others: it was hard to understand how much I could push! Hats off to the team; they did an amazing job and the bike was fantastic, I wanted the win for them today but 3rd will have to do. Days like this are awesome for a podium finish just because of how difficult it was.”
Home turf next! The CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich will see the Spielberg hills echo to MotoGP in two weeks.
