NEIL HODGSON SAYS BRAD BINDER’S ARAGON SPRINT FIGHT SHOWS MOTO GP IS MISSING OUT
29 Aug·
Neil Hodgson believes MotoGP is missing out by not giving Brad Binder enough screen time, after witnessing the KTM rider’s “reality” during the Aragon Sprint Race battle with Pramac’s Toprak Razgatlioglu.
The Sprint Race at the Aragon Grand Prix on Saturday brought together two riders at different stages of their MotoGP careers. Binder is in the final stretch of what is expected to be his farewell season in the premier class, while Razgatlioglu is enduring his rookie campaign on a Yamaha. For KTM, the end of Binder’s contract is approaching, with the team already set for 2027: Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio have been signed, and Tech3 has also added Luca Marini. Senna Agius is also expected to join KTM’s satellite structure.
Hodgson’s comments came after Binder produced a stubborn defensive display against Razgatlioglu. The South African ultimately finished P15, while Razgatlioglu took P13, with Marc Marquez winning the Sprint.
Speaking on TNT Sports 2, Hodgson highlighted how Binder’s efforts rarely get shown. “Toprak’s on the back of Brad Binder, looking like he’s going to try and throw it up the inside like that… like that, I said…” Hodgson then stressed the importance of what he saw: “Binder’s not giving up! We never see Brad Binder; they never show him! And that’s to our loss. When you watch, this is the reality of what Binder does. He’s so tenacious!”
The duel began to stand out to Hodgson with around four laps remaining. At that point, the KTM and Pramac riders were running at the back of a train that stretched from P11 down to P15 behind works Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia. Razgatlioglu initiated the contest with a lunge under braking for Turn 7, but Binder refused to concede. The KTM rider picked up his RC16 early and counter-attacked out of the corner to hold P14.
Razgatlioglu responded immediately. At Turn 8, he sent his V4 Yamaha M1 down the inside again, leaving it late enough on the brakes to prevent Binder from getting a reply. With the move secured, Binder had to tuck in behind Razgatlioglu for the downhill right-hand corner.
The Pramac rider was still not finished. Razgatlioglu made another late move on Tech3’s Enea Bastianini to secure P13 at the end of the penultimate lap, while Binder had to watch from behind.
Beyond the Sprint itself, the report frames Binder’s performance as a reminder of what he can do when he’s on form—especially as his future is believed to be moving away from MotoGP. It is widely expected that Binder will join BMW in the World Superbike Championship next year, with the move to BMW’s WSBK team for 2027 described as effectively done, after beating competition from Manuel Gonzalez for the seat.