KTM factory rider Brad Binder made his mark on the first day of the Australian Grand Prix at <a href="https://time.news/the-return-of-motogp-to-termas-de-rio-hondo-in-2025-was-made-official-the-2024-edition-had-been-canceled-due-to-non-compliance-by-the-national-government/" title="The return of MotoGP to Termas de Río Hondo in 2025 was made official | The 2024 edition had been canceled due to non-compliance by the national government”>Phillip Island by setting a fast lap to secure his place in the second MotoGP qualifying session. The South African was able to take advantage of the difficult and unpredictable conditions, where the weather alternated between sun and rain, to finish in 7th place, less than half a second behind Marc Marquez.
The session, which was interrupted by possible showers, pushed all the drivers to attack from the start to achieve their best times. Binder and his colleagues, Jack Miller et
Pedro Acostaperformed well at first, all placing in the top 10. However, the end of the session was more complicated for some. Jack Millerled for a while, fell and finished 12th, althoughAcostawho fell while swinging the wet grass after braking, was unable to restart his bike and finished 13th.
Binderdespite a session he described as “disjointed”, he managed to stay in the top 10. His time of 1’28.2 put him in 7th place, securing its presence in R2.
Brad Connector: « the bike is still not where I want it »
He expressed relief after the session, saying: “
I must be happy after this day. It didn’t seem normal for me to go straight into qualification with so much pressure on me. The lack of FP1 made everything strange, everyone was in a hurry because of the fear of rain. »
Despite this performance, Brad binder he emphasized that he was not completely satisfied with his feelings on the bike: “ I made some small mistakes. The bike is still not where I want it. I tried the medium and hard tires at the beginning, but the biggest problem was at the back. The bite simply disappeared several times when I hit the gas. »
Like all pilots, Binder hopefully the next practice session on Saturday morning will give us a chance to fine tune the settings. With the cancellation of FP1, the program has been adjusted to allow it 40 minutes of driving in FP2, instead of the usual 30 minutesto compensate for lost time and allow drivers to better prepare for qualifying.
MotoGPAustralia J1: times
