BRNO, Czech Republic: With his win at the Czech MotoGP on Sunday, Brad Binder created a series of premieres to “realize a day that I dreamed of as a little boy”.
It was the 24-year-old Binder’s first MotoGP victory in only his third race in the elite class, and it was also a first victory at this level for a South African and for the KTM team.
Binder opened his MotoGP account at the expense of Italian Franco Morbidelli on Yamaha’s SRT satellite motorcycle and French Johan Zarco on a Ducati Avintia, who finished third.
“My team gave me an absolutely insane motorcycle this weekend,” said Binder.
“I had no idea we could win, but I had the feeling that it could be good.”
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha-SRT), winner of the first two races of the season and world championship leader, finished seventh behind closed doors on a hot and sunny afternoon and increased his lead in the drivers’ standings to 17 points over the Spaniard Maverick. from Vinales (Yamaha), who was only 14th in the GP.
With reigning champion Marc Marquez still absent and with a broken arm, Binder followed Quartararo in taking his chance.
Binder was the first rookie MotoGP winner since Marquez in 2013, and he was followed by two more surprising leaders.
It was a first podium for Morbidelli.
“Overall, it was a nice race, I got off to a good start, I made my plan to find my rhythm and not to overcook the tires,” he said.
After Binder overtook him on lap 13 and made no mistakes, Morbidelli concentrated on claiming his first podium.
“I’m not going to do anything stupid and try to get the bike to the end and get my first podium.”
Zarco started from pole but fell back with a bad start. Despite crumbling tires and a penalty for a collision with Pol Esparago that knocked the Spanish KTM man out of the race, he held third place.
“He has gone far. I was there, held the line and when we touch, ”said Zarco. “I didn’t expect it and I think it crashed.”
Those responsible ruled that it was the Frenchman’s fault and that he had to drive a “long lap”, which meant that he had to follow an outside lane in the big seventh corner.
“When I did the long lap, I expected three drivers to overtake me. Nobody overtook and at that moment I said, OK, that could be good, ”said Zarco.
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