Brad Binder admitted he was in “win or bust” mode while battling Jorge Martin for victory in the Thai Grand Prix as he aimed to break a two-year win drought.

The factory KTM rider pushed eventual victor Martin for the entirety of the 26-lap Thai thriller, the South African enjoying more rear grip from his RC16 than the Spaniard could garner from his Pramac Ducati.

Having finally managed to pass Martin at Turn 9 with just four laps remaining, Binder tried to break away to secure supremacy – though he ultimately fell back into the clutches of the Thai sprint winner as the adhesion from his rear tyre suddenly fell away from him.

Having crossed the line just 0.114s from victory, Binder was then relegated to third due to exceeding track limits at Turn 4 on the final tour. Conceding that he knew he would have to drop a spot after running wide on the final lap, Binder explained that he had been in “win or bust” mode all race to try and finally snap his long winless streak.

“I saw South Africa won the (rugby) world cup today, so I was win or bust,” said Binder.  

“I did my best, but Jorge (Martin) did an unreal job as I tried to stay behind him and save my tyres for the whole race.

“I thought I did enough, but the moment I passed him I realised the grip dropped so it was tricky. On the last lap, I felt that I was close enough and thought if I could just put my wheel there I could make something happen, and then at Turn 4 I went in a little hotter than a lap before and washed out and touched the green.

“I knew from the previous laps that my best chance (to pass Martin) was in the third sector because that’s where I felt I had a bit extra. I tried my hardest, but it wasn’t meant to be today.

“I tried to brake late and roll through there (Turn 4). Initially, I had the brake on for a little longer, and then when I cranked the gas I think I pulled the weight off the front tyre and as soon as I picked it up it just went wide and touched the green.

“From that point, it was a case of just surviving and fighting with what I had.”  

The two-time premier class race winner added that he still tried to “push on” and pass Martin for the on-the-road win to try and at least salvage a second following his penalty. He was also left encouraged about some of his KTM’s “strong points” having gone toe-to-toe with the fastest machine currently in the field.  

“I tried to push on and get Jorge anyway because I knew it’d be a plus one position, so I could have still finished second rather than third,” continued Binder.

“It’s never cool to lose a spot, but at the end of the day, I’m still on the podium and gave it my all so I can’t complain.

 “The best thing is that even though everything wasn’t perfect in the race, we have some really strong points when I can exploit them. If we can make our weaker points a little stronger, I think we’ll be really good.”

Brad Binder fronted a KTM MotoGP 1-2 at the end of Friday at Phillip Island, while Francesco Bagnaia will be forced to escape from Q1 once again.

Times steadily reduced as the session progressed, with Jorge Martin’s FP1-leading effort of 1:29.030s remaining as the fastest of the weekend until the final 15 minutes of the session. Aleix Espargaro was the man to eclipse Martin’s time, the Aprilia man banging in a 1:28.841s.

Despite having further improved on his following gambit, team-mate Maverick Vinales moved ahead on a 1:28.649s before Martin smashed the Spaniard with a 1:28.299s.  

It would be Binder who ultimately walked away with the honors on Friday by breaking the 1:27 barrier, the KTM pilot managing a 1:27.943s to put himself just 0.148s clear of team-mate and home hero Jack Miller as the day came to a close.

Another late improvement from Vinales ensured he ended the day third overall just ahead of Martin, whose second flying tour was compromised as he came across a struggling Bagnaia. His first lap was still good enough to keep him fourth though, while GasGas’ Pol Espargaro impressed to complete the top five.

Marco Bezzecchi was sixth for VR46 ahead of Fabio Di Gianantonio, the Gresini rider’s late-season resurgence continuing in Australia as he secured a guaranteed Q2 berth.

Enea Bastianini outshone team-mate Bagnaia once again to secure eighth ahead of Aleix. At the same time, Johann Zarco clung onto the final automatic pole shootout passage having posted the same time as Espargaro.

Bagnaia was the first man to miss out on a Friday Q2 place, the Italian improving on his final lap but still coming nearly two-tenths-of-a-second short of out-running Zarco.  This leaves him in the pressurised situation of having to progress from Q1 for the second straight week.

Also struggling were Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo, who posted times good enough for only 16^th and 17^th respectively for Honda and Yamaha behind the returning Alex Marquez’s Gresini Ducati.

Marquez was also the only man to go down during the test, the six-time premier class champion losing the front of his RC213V mid-way through the slow Turn 20 right-hander. Quartararo meanwhile had his final lap compromised at the same bend, as Augusto Fernandez moved across in front of him while on a slow lap on entry to the unsighted corner.

Alex Rins ended up as the best-placed Honda in 12^th overall for LCR, the Spaniard just 0.002s adrift of Bagnaia.

Luca Marini also struggled as he lapped just over 1.2s from Binder’s benchmark to complete the day 19^th just behind the other factory Honda of Joan Mir.

Miguel Oliveira also struggled to put together a competitive lap as he languished down in 20^th by the end of the day, the RNF Aprilia racer ahead of only LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami and Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli.

Brad Binder topped Friday’s running at the Mobility Resort Motegi by just 0.029s over Francesco Bagnaia, while Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez will have to contest Q1.

Binder came out the blocks quickly at the start of the session as he banged in a 1:45.060s to lead the field, an effort just over a tenth of a second faster than Jorge Martin’s FP1 benchmark.

Times would continue to tumble as the test progressed though, Binder’s later time of 1:44.255s was smashed by Gresini’s Fabio Di Gianantonio as the Italian became the first man to lap in the 1:43’s.

His time would be beaten by Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro as the final time attack efforts took place as the session wound down, though it would be Binder that ultimately claimed Friday honors with a stunning last gambit of 1:43.489s.

The factory KTM racer’s lap put him over three-tenths clear of anyone else, though series leader Bagnaia got close to ending the day just 0.029s adrift of the scratch time. Binder’s electric final split saved his top position as Bagnaia tracked just over a tenth faster for the bulk of the tour.

Espargaro ended the day third overall ahead of FP1 leader Martin and VR46 Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi, with Di Gianantonio bagging a direct-to-Q2 spot thanks to his earlier effort in sixth overall.

Johann Zarco followed on the second Pramac-run Ducati in seventh ahead of the sister Aprilia of Maverick Vinales, while GasGas’ Pol Espargaro claimed an impressive ninth ahead of Jack Miller, who took the final guaranteed pole shootout berth.  

The Aussie denied RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira an early Q2 graduation by just over half-a-tenth, while Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez also failed to make it into the top ten on Friday in Japan.

Quartararo ended up 13^th fastest after his session was curtailed by a nasty crash while tipping his Yamaha into Turn 6 late on, the Frenchman limping away from the scene of the crash. He headed back out for a final attempt but was unable to further improve on the time he set before his incident.

Marquez meanwhile crashed at turn 1 on his last attempt, leaving him 14^th behind Honda team-mate Joan Mir, the 2020 MotoGP world champion ending the day 12^th overall as he continues to show improved form on the RC213V.

Yamaha wildcard Cal Crutchlow claimed 16^th on Friday, the Brit lapping just over a tenth adrift of race rider Franco Morbidelli and 1.2 seconds down on Binder’s benchmark.

Raul Fernandez showed encouraging pace throughout FP2 but eventually ended up a lowly 17^th thanks to a pair of crashes at Turn 10 across the outing, which ended a pair of fast-looking attempts.

The returning Alex Rins spent Friday trying to get race fit after several months out of action, the LCR Honda rider ending the day 21^st and 3.7 seconds down on Binder’s time.

Brad Binder admitted that he had to “be clever” in the closing stages of the Austrian Grand Prix after he nearly crashed on several occasions trying to chase Francesco Bagnaia.

The factory KTM rider enjoyed a strong weekend at the Austrian manufacturers home event having qualified second before finishing in the same spot in Saturday’s half-distance sprint race to Ducati pilot Bagnaia, the South African confident he would have something for the Italian in Sunday’s full-length grand prix.

Despite KTM having solved some braking-related difficulties Binder struggled with in the sprint ahead of the Austrian GP, Bagnaia ultimately looked to be in even more control as he cruised on to a commanding victory to the tune of over five seconds – Binder rueing a lack of drive from the Red Bull Ring’s slower turns as the chief reason for his deficit to Bagnaia.

He also conceded that he had to back off from the middling stages of the contest onwards after locking his front wheel on several occasions, Binder explaining that he was having to make up all the time he was losing on corner exits in the braking zones.

 “The team did a great job to give me much more braking performance today compared to yesterday (sprint), we were working until late last night to put the little details together so I owe them a massive thanks,” said Binder.

“I tried my best to give everything I had to catch Pecco (Bagnaia) at the beginning, but from lap five or six I began to realise he was really looking after his rear tyre and I might run into a bit of bother at the end.

“Everytime I would lose on the initial drive from the corner I would try and make up on the brakes and just have these huge locks, and I got to the point where I lost the front three times in one lap and just said to myself ‘be clever here, or you won’t finish.’

“So I just tried to calm down a bit and try to make the rear tyre go to the end as we knew coming here from the sprint race that that would be the main challenge.” 

Having now moved himself up to fourth in the riders standings at the mid-point of the 2023 MotoGP term – the highest non-Ducati rider in the points – Binder added that that he is “100% happy” with his solid haul of points from the Austrian weekend, and is looking forward to making further progress towards a maiden win of the year next time out in Barcelona.

“I came into this weekend wanting a lot as always, but to leave here with two second places I think we 100% need to be happy,” continued Binder.

“Today was a carbon copy of the sprint race, the same lap and same corner and could see I wasn’t going forward and could see the gap creeping up (to Bagnaia.)

“Nevertheless I managed to hold things pretty close when (the tyre) dropped towards the end, so I’m quite satisfied with that and can’t complain with a pair of seconds so we’ll see what happens next time.” 

Brad Binder will remain with KTM’s MotoGP outfit until at least the end of the 2026 campaign having agreed a two-year extension with the Austrian marque.

The South African was already under contract for 2024 with KTM anyway, the two parties electing to further extend the deal following a successful ’23 campaign so far which sees Binder currently fourth in the overall riders standings having scored two rostrum results as well as a sprint race win at Jerez.

Binder says his keenness to be continually involved in KTM’s “incredible program” was the main reason for his decision to further extend his deal with the brand, the two-time premier class winner adding that the organisation is “very close” to achieving ultimate supremacy in MotoGP.  

“A massive thank you to KTM and the management for trusting in me and for letting me be involved in this incredible program for a few more years,” said Binder on his new deal.

“We are coming very close to what we want to achieve on the track but I cannot say enough good things about the team and my crew.

“2015 and those first KTM races feel like a long time ago! But also time passes quickly and we’ve made some special memories, and I know there is a lot more to come and cannot wait to build those stories.”

KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer added that keeping Binder within KTM’s premier class project was a “big priority” for the manufacturer.

“Keeping Brad at the sharp point of our MotoGP program was a big priority for us,” said Beirer.

“We love everything about this guy: he is an all-out racer and leaves everything on the track.

“We’ve already achieved and experienced so much together, and it makes us very proud that he wants to continue on our RC16 and stay in orange.

“We couldn’t be happier to put that #33 bike in the box for a few more years to come.”

Binder first joined KTM in the Moto3 class back in 2015, a solid first year leading into a commanding championship charge the following term that saw him claim the title off the back of seven victories across the year.

A three-year stay in the Moto2 series then followed with KTM affiliate squad Ajo Motorsport, Binder recording a total of eight wins in the class with a best championship result of second in 2019 prior to making his premier class bow with KTM in the Covid-19-shortened 2020 campaign.

Success came quickly for the partnership as Binder secured his maiden MotoGP race win at Brno that same season, with a second coming in KTM’s home event at the Red Bull Ring in ’21 courtesy of a gamble to stay out on a wet track in dry tyres as his competition boxed for wets.

Brad Binder was confident he could have won the British Grand Prix had the brief rain shower developed into something stronger after having made strong progress in the slippy conditions.

The KTM pilot recovered well from a sub-par sprint Saturday to move into the podium positions in the early reckoning of the race, though looked to be going backwards relative to the rapid Ducati’s and Aprilia’s out front as the race progressed.

His rostrum chances were saved though by a brief rain shower that rewarded those who were boldest, Binder moving clear of Maverick Vinales late on before pressuring the leading trio of Francesco Bagnaia and Miguel Oliveira.

A late move saw him snatch away the final rostrum place away from RNF Aprilia rider Oliveira, though post race he felt had the rain come down harder a surprise victory could have been on the cards.  

“It was sketchier because the rain started with around seven laps to go, and if it had really started to rain obviously that would have paid off,” said Binder post-race.  

“At the time it was a case of who was willing to take the risk and it was like a yo-yo where one would go and then would come back to us because it was really hard to understand how wet the track was and how much you could push.

“We were fortunate it was only really the last sector and only a little bit in the first, other than that it was pretty straightforward.

“It was hard to read everything out there, so I’m happy and had a great time today.

Binder shared that he was satisfied to have banished the ghosts of his Dutch TT before the summer break – in which he lost a pair of podium placings due to track limits offences – to make it up to his KTM squad, though conceded he “wanted more” following his strong showing across Friday practice at Silverstone.

“It was awesome to get another podium today but I really wanted to win after my two mistakes at Assen, but the two guys in front did a great job and really deserved it,” added the South African.

 “I’m really happy with the way everything’s been going recently and clearly KTM have done a great job with the bike because it’s super competitive.

“We saw on Friday we had great dry pace and we could make time on every (corner) exit, so when we saw it would be dry today I had a lot of confidence and put together some great results.

“Of course third is good, but I wanted more so we’ll see what happens next time.” 

Brad Binder reckons he could find it tough to beat Friday pace setter Aleix Espargaro should it remain dry at Silverstone on Saturday, the KTM man conceding his lap was “incredible.”

The South African showed encouraging pace throughout the day to end up third quickest and just a fraction behind Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, though his best effort was a distant 0.715s adrift of runaway leader Espargaro.

Having been left overall happy with the progress he had made during the two practice outings that took place across Friday, Binder accepted that he only had “a couple of tenths in the pocket” and that Espargaro had managed to craft together an “incredible lap.”

“Today was solid, can’t really complain as I went out this morning and did longer runs on the harder tyre which was cool, it was nice to shake off the rust from the mid season,” explained Binder.

“The guys did a great job this afternoon, we made some quite big changes with the traction control and engine braking in a lot of places and everything was much better than the first run.

“I felt good, each run I went out and improved so to finish in the top three is fantastic and it’s great to transition straight through to Q2 and we’ll try and make it a really solid Saturday.

“I honestly felt quite OK, I think I’ve got a couple tenths in the pocket – maybe not 0.6 (deficit to Espargaro) – he did an incredible lap for sure.”

With wet weather forecast for Saturday at Silverstone, Binder felt he had a good chance of remaining towards the peak of the timesheets due to him not minding the wet conditions, as well as his KTM working “extremely well” in the wet.

“I think we can do a good job tomorrow, we just need to see what the weather does,” continued the three-time premier class race victor.

“I don’t mind the wet anymore, I used to hate it but for sure it could mix things up a bit and the last few times I’ve been quite comfortable in those conditions and our bike seems to work extremely well in those conditions.”

Brad Binder revealed that he remarked ‘f***, please don’t let that be the last lap’ while witnessing the replay of him going off track on the final lap at Assen.  

The factory KTM racer put on an impressive display to battle Ducati duo Francesco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi throughout the Dutch TT – despite opting for the less durable soft compound rear tyre – to eventually take the chequered flag in third.

The South African’s initial joy would soon turn to disappointment for the second time in as many days as he was relegated off the rostrum to fourth behind Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro post-race after it was found he had crossed the green outer part of the track at Turn 10 on the final tour – the very same transgression that cost him third in Saturday’s sprint race to Yamaha pilot Fabio Quartararo.

Binder said he felt “really sorry” for his KTM team having made the same mistake two days in a row, the two-time premier class winner kicking himself because he didn’t “know what I was doing.”

“To be honest I can deal with it from my side but I feel really sorry for the team because they did an incredible job all weekend and gave me a bike I could qualify really well on,” said Binder.

“My start was insane and somehow we managed to make the front tyre work until the end, and we would have got two podiums.

“I don’t know what I was doing because I didn’t realise I’d touched it again, but then I saw the replay and was like ‘f***, please don’t let that be the last lap’ but it is what it is and I’m really sorry to my team.

“I’ll go away and have a look at it and the positive is that I was strong all weekend, and we’ll try again at Silverstone.”

Binder added that he was “shocked” at how slippery the Assen track surface was in the early laps of the 26-tour contest due to the extreme 51 degrees Celsius asphalt temperature, though he started to feel more comfortable once some rubber had been laid down onto the racing line during the opening phase of the encounter.

“I was pretty deep on the brakes at Turn 1 to get past everybody but it worked good, but it was super slick out there and for the first couple laps I was quite shocked because it was so slippery,” continued Binder.

“After we started to get some rubber down I started to feel more comfortable, and I knew the most important thing for today was protect the right edge of my tyres, and I think I did well the whole race but didn’t quite finish it off properly due to touching the green on the last lap.

“A fifth and a fourth is not terrible, a pair of podiums would have been nicer, but we’ll try to do better next time.”

Brad Binder conceded that he simply wasn’t “close enough for a send” on Francesco Bagnaia at the final bend of the Spanish Grand Prix, despite posting his best race lap.

The KTM pilot looked good to complete the Jerez sweep as he led the bulk of Sunday’s GP after securing an emphatic success in Saturdays sprint race, though was passed for the lead with just a few tours remaining by the charging Ducati of Bagnaia.

The South African was determined to not allow the reigning premier class world champion off without a fight though and tried to heap the pressure back onto the Italian, Binder recording his fastest lap of the race on the final circulation as he tried to set up a final do-or-die move into Jerez’s infamous final hairpin.

Bagnaia ultimately braked late enough to stave off a potential last gasp attack from Binder and secure supremacy, Binder admitting post-race that he was simply “not close enough for a send” and would have been “on my way to gravel” had he tried.

“I really wanted to get Pecco (Bagnaia) into the last corner and did my fastest lap of the race on the last one, but I wasn’t close enough for the send at the final turn,” explained Binder.

“I left nothing on the table, I wouldn’t have slept at night if I hadn’t tried so I was close but today we didn’t quite get the job done, but it was a good day with solid points and great to have two KTM’s on the podium.

“I would love to have added my name (to list of riders to snatch win at final bend at Jerez) but to be honest today wasn’t the day for it, I was just too far back and Pecco was in the middle of the track so If I’d gone I would have been on the inside kerb and on my way to the gravel.

“Sometimes the risk is worth it, but today there wasn’t the opportunity.”

Binder added that he was ecstatic that KTM had managed to make “such a step forward” with the RC16 that allowed him to now genuinely fight at the front of the pack having suffered a tricky 2022 term, leaving him feeling he can “fight with any of the guys” across the remainder of the year.

“If you’d told me I’d get a win and a second on Friday afternoon when we were sat in 11^th place and in Q1, I’d have signed for it straight away,” continued the two-time premier class GP race victor.

“My team have done a great job and completely flipped things around for us, the bike felt fantastic from FP1 and we’ve made such a step forward.

“I feel like I can fight with any of the guys, though I made a mistake with a few laps to go that meant the gap I’d built up evaporated in one go, it was a costly error but you live and learn and we’ll keep fighting.”

Brad Binder joked that he felt like the Jerez was track surface was “melting”, such was the lack of grip afforded to him in Saturday’s sprint race.

The factory KTM racer romped to win his second MotoGP sprint race in four contests after getting the better of team-mate Jack Miller in the closing laps, chiefly because he looked after his rear Michelin tyre more effectively in the extreme heat seen during the afternoon at the Spanish venue.

The South African admitted it was tough to get his bearings in the early circulations of the sprint race due to the lack of grip relative to qualifying and practice, describing the track as feeling like it was “melting” as a result of the high temperatures felt during the afternoon.

“It’s so hot out there, the track feels like its melting and there’s barely any grip, completely different to the rest of the weekend so you really have to adjust all your markers, but in the sprint race you don’t have time to do that as you have to get stuck straight in,” explained Binder.

 “I had to give it a good send (Turn 6 move on Miller for lead) because Jack and I ride really similarly which makes it trickier to overtake, so I had to time things right and to get the move done felt incredible.

“I felt strong throughout the race, and we’ll try to make some changes for tomorrow and hopefully fix my weak points.

“I’d love to fight again for the podium tomorrow, I believe the longer races are where we can excel so I’ll make sure to get a good night sleep and get going again tomorrow.

“I’m satisfied to get the win but tomorrow will be hard, and we need to perform.”

Binder continued to heap praise on his team for the continued impressive performance KTM has been capable of so far in 2023, with Miller completing the rostrum in the Jerez sprint race ahead of the Austrian marque’s test rider Dani Pedrosa, who claimed an impressive sixth in his first motorcycle race encounter in two years.

He felt Pedrosa’s work in the recent Jerez test was critical to the manufacturer’s strong performance so far in Spain, adding that he believes “if I do a great job I can win” any race with KTM’s updated challenger.

“It’s fantastic to walk away with two sprint victories, the first one I didn’t expect at all and the second was one that I knew I needed,” continued Binder.

“I’m super happy with the way everything has gone so far, I need to say a massive thank you to the team as they have done an unreal job with the test, as has Dani (Pedrosa, KTM test rider) to bring such a good bike here from the test.

“This year I truly believe that if I do a great job I can win which is the best feeling in the world and I can’t thank KTM enough for bringing a competitive machine, which is working especially well here, so we’ll keep fighting and see how we get on over the rest of the season.”