ROAD NEWS
KTM TAKES MAIDEN MOTOGP VICTORY
A
fter years in the ring testing its mettle
against the other big names in the industry,
KTM has finally broken through to the top
step of the podium with Brad Binder’s victory
at the Czech Republic’s Automotodrom Brno.
If there is anything we can take from the
reformatted 2020 MotoGP season, it’s that we
can’t count on the usual suspects to come out
on top in this condensed series.
Starting from the second and third row of the
grid, the Red Bull KTM Team’s Pol Esparago and
Brad Binder settled into the top five from the
outset. While Binder found the extra speed to
work his way to the front, Espargaro was in hot
pursuit until he collided with Johann Zarco in the
tussle for 3rd place and crashed out on lap 10.
Binder went from strength to strength as he
passed the winner of the first two Grands Prix,
Fabio Quartararo, and also Franco Morbidelli to
control the race from P1 and with authority for
the last nine laps of the 21.
“Honestly, right now, I’m lost for words, Binder
stated post-race.
“I’ve dreamt of this since I was a little boy and
today it came true. It is amazing to win my first
GP [in MotoGP]. Thank you to everybody who
supported me, and the whole team: they put an
insane motorcycle beneath me today! I didn’t
know if we could win but I knew we would have
a go. It was the craziest ten laps of my life at the
end. I was being as soft as I could. It was
incredible. Unbelievable.”
KTM Motorsports Director, Pit Beirer, was
understandably as elated as Binder at the
result at Brno.
“For KTM this is an unbelievable day”, he said,
“It’s historic for our company and for the whole
team but of course for Brad Binder who has
believed in us and our project for many years.
Today is payback for so much hard work. We
knew we had a better bike for this year and
this did not happen by accident: it came from
everything we learnt during the last years. With
Dani Pedrosa, Mika Kallio and the test team we
worked and developed for over a full year to
have this bike now. At the end of the day, you
need a fantastic rider to put the bike on the
top step and Brad did it today, and in the same
style as he won in Moto3 and Moto2 races for
us. It´s an incredible feeling and we will now
build on this result.”
78 KIWI RIDER