BRAD BINDER SAYS MISANO WAS A “CATASTROPHIC” WEEKEND AS HE LOOKS TO RESTART IN AUSTRIA

Brad Binder arrived at KTM’s home MotoGP weekend in Austria with a clear message: he wants a reset after a difficult spell that has left him struggling to find the pace he expects from the RC16. Speaking ahead of the Red Bull Ring event, the South African said his Misano outing had been “catastrophical,” adding that from the very first session he couldn’t get into a rhythm. “After Misano I’m trying to make a restart. For me it was a catastrophic weekend. From the first session I didn’t find any rhythm,” Binder said. He also pointed to the circuit as a key factor, explaining that the track in Spielberg suits his riding style better and that the bike is working well there. “The track in Austria fits my riding style much better. Our motorcycle works very well here. My goal is to be competitive from the first session,” he added.

Binder’s frustration is heightened by the broader context of the last two seasons. He has slipped from the group of riders regularly fighting for top results into the midfield, and he has felt the pressure of being overshadowed by teammate Pedro Acosta. With his MotoGP future ending after 2027—Binder is set to move to the Superbike World Championship with BMW—he was asked whether there was a specific moment when the RC16 stopped suiting him as it once did. “To be honest, the last two seasons have been a fight,” Binder said. “If I knew, I would fix it immediately. In the last two years I would have liked to have had much fewer hard days, but that wasn’t the case.”

For the Red Bull Ring, Binder’s plan is straightforward: start strong, build confidence quickly, and translate that into qualifying. “My plan here is to be as competitive as possible from the beginning. For example, I want to do in qualifying what I always do—just faster,” he said. He also addressed whether a breakthrough has already happened. “I wouldn’t say that it clicked, but it will get better,” Binder explained. “In the last events the bike definitely felt better. Of course Misano was certainly worse than the other Grands Prix; it was harder for me there. I wouldn’t say it clicked, but it will get better—even if the results didn’t show it. I just need to bring everything together.”

Binder believes the path to improvement runs through early momentum. “I feel that if I start the weekend well, find my pace and have a good qualifying, then the whole world will look completely different,” he said. He singled out grid position as a potential turning point: “If I could be further forward on the starting grid, that would be a gamechanger for me.”

Weather could also play a role. Binder noted that rain would be a major factor, pointing to his memorable 2021 Spielberg win, when he took victory from slicks on a wet track. He also mentioned that during Thursday’s “MopedGP” session he enjoyed a fun rainy training run—on a 50cc moped—though he expects Sunday to be dry.