Brad Binder’s Rollercoaster Indonesian MotoGP: From Brake Leaks to Holeshot Hassles

Brad Binder on Mixed Fortunes: From Brake Issues to an Impressive Launch – "Quite the Experience!"

"Definitely a challenging day, but if anything could go wrong, I'm hoping that's the last of it."

Brad Binder is optimistic that he experienced all his misfortune in just one day during the Indonesian MotoGP on Saturday.

"Quite the day," remarked Binder. "The practice went smoothly. We faced numerous issues in Sector 2 the day before, but I managed to make significant progress there, which felt fantastic."

However, the troubles for the Red Bull KTM racer started during the qualifying round.

During his initial attempt, the South African rider encountered an issue shortly after starting. Then, on his subsequent effort, a malfunction with the 'rear brake protector' prevented any improvement, resulting in a starting position of 19th on the grid.

"Regrettably, I encountered a minor technical problem and lost my rear brake due to an apparent leak, which caused it to affect the rear tyre," Binder explained. "I came back in, switched motorcycles, returned to the track, and managed to complete the qualifying session."

Binder experienced an incredible beginning in the Sprint race, yet he found it challenging to apply sufficient braking power to disengage the holeshot mechanism at either Turn 1 or Turn 2…

"Binder described how the abundance of riders surrounding him prevented him from fully engaging the front brake, resulting in his inability to unclip in the first turn. The congestion of competitors persisted into the second turn, hindering his ability to brake forcefully."

I managed to handle all the previous turns up to the ninth one, but as I attempted to disengage at turn 10, I realized my brakes had failed due to excessive vibration. Consequently, I missed the turn at 10, managed to disengage at the 11th turn, and attempted to recover from that point. However, by then, the competitor ahead had gained a lead of roughly three seconds.

"The day turned out to be quite a mess, but I'm hoping that if anything could go awry, it's all happened already. And if there's anything more to come, I hope it occurs today, allowing us to start anew tomorrow!"

Binder crossed the finish line in 13th position, recording his quickest lap time of 1 minute and 30.723 seconds, which was 0.534 seconds slower than the leading time, on the 13th and last lap.

"On my final lap, I recorded my fastest time of the entire race, and I was quite close. Therefore, I believe we could have had a strong performance today. However, things turned out as they did. Occasionally, circumstances don't align in your favor, but I'm eager to make a comeback."

Pedro Acosta led the KTM contingent, finishing sixth, while his colleague from Binder's team, Jack Miller, ended up in 13th place.

Binder heads into Sunday's Grand Prix leading his soon-to-be team member Acosta by a mere six points, competing for fifth place and the highest ranking among non-Ducati riders in the world championship.

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