Brad Binder was crowned Moto3 World Champion today at the Aragon Grand Prix, placing second in a spectacular race that was not decided until the final corner. The Red Bull KTM Ajo took the necessary points to clinch the title four races before the end of the season. His teammate, Bo Bendsneyder, finished fifteenth, adding another point to his tally. Brad Binder rode an almost perfect race to seal the title. The South African, who had started from fifth position on the grid, started well and was up amongst the Top 4 at all times. Binder had to contend with numerous riders making overtaking moves, but on the final laps the front four broke free. Binder and his two rivals in the fight for the World Championship provided a spectacular finish, arriving alongside one another into the final corner. In the end, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider took second, claiming his eleventh podium finish of the season. Bendsneyder had a more difficult race, starting from ninth position. Trouble at the beginning of the race dropped him down to sixteenth by Lap 3, and he rode the remainder of the race amongst a large group of riders. He eventually crossed the finish line in fifteenth position to score a point for his Moto3 World Championship tally. With today’s result, Brad Binder reaches 249 points in the overall standings, 106 more than his nearest rival. Bendsneyder has 53 and lies seventeenth. Binder’s title win makes him only the third South African to win a World Championship, and the first since 1980. He is the second champion in Red Bull KTM Ajo history after Sandro Cortese in 2012, and Ajo Motorsport’s fifth (they previously won titles in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016).
Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“This improvement made by Brad Binder over these past two years has been incredible. Not many people believed that he would be able to do something like this, and he has proved them wrong. I thank him a lot for the work that he has done, and I also thank his parents for raising a son who has such attitude. It has been a pleasure to work with them all year. Secondly, of course, I want to thank our sponsors for making this possible and for believing in us for another year, and the team for making Red Bull KTM Ajo so fantastic. I also want to take a moment to say that I don’t think there are many teams in the paddock like ours, with such fantastic spirit in the garage. Brad has had an incredible season, always keeping calm and avoiding making mistakes.
It is very positive for Bo [Bendsneyder] that he keeps picking up points. Considering that Bo came here after a crash at Misano, I’m happy because even as a rookie he bounced back and had a serious race. We are convinced that he will improve in leaps and bounds.”
41 BRAD BINDER :
“I still can’t believe it. When I crossed the finish line I raised my head, looked at my team and realised what we had achieved, but I still can’t take it all in. Maybe tonight when I go to sleep I will realise the great merit of what we achieved today. I am very happy -especially for my parents, who have made so many sacrifices for me. Also for my team and everyone who has helped me to get here. I cannot thank them enough. I tried to take things like any other weekend. After all the questions from the press and fans, it was a little shocking at first, but it’s great to have taken the title here in Aragon and be able to devote the remaining four races to enjoying myself and giving my best.”
64 BO BENDSNEYDER :
“I’m not very happy because although I have added to my tally, I only got a single point. Starting from ninth, I wanted to finish in the Top 10. The start was difficult and I lost a lot of positions, which was the key to the race. I had the pace to be in the Top 10, but I was not able to recover the ground I lost at the start. Now I have to focus on Japan. I am very motivated because I’ve never been there before. I’ve seen videos and I have tried to learn the circuit, and I think that from what I’ve seen it will be a good track for my riding style. I also want to congratulate Brad; I’m very happy for him and he deserves to be champion.”
race results:
source: motogp.com, ajo.fi
