Mugello, Italy: The pair rocketed their record-breaking KTM RC16 to a strong 5th and 7th respectively. The heavy Italian rainfall that coated Mugello late on Saturday afternoon subsided for race day which Miller raced into the lead from fourth on the grid as the lights went out at a sunny Mugello circuit. The Australian was past Marini, Marquez, and pole-sitter Bagnaia even before the end of the pit lane and led the race going into turn 1.
Miller dropped to third going into turn 1 of lap 2, but continued to fight for the podium places throughout the first half of the race. Meanwhile Binder started 10th on the grid, after smashing the all-time MotoGP top speed record in the Saturday Sprint at 366.1 kmph (227.4 mph) along the 1.1 km straight.
A track defined by pace and power, it was Binder who worked his way through the pack during the Sunday Race at the popular Tuscan track. The South African started on the front foot like his teammate and made up a few places on the first lap to around the Mugello circuit.
Jack Miller dropped back after his flying start which saw the two Red Bull KTM riders occupy 7th and 8th with 18 laps to go. A crash ahead from Marc Marquez meant both riders gained a place shortly after Binder overtook his teammate.
The Australian continued to move up, now into fifth place and was touted by race commentators to be in the running for the podium places. However, the tussle for the podium seemed to be just out of reach.
The high speeds and winding corners of the Mugello race track has made the circuit notorious for difficult overtaking. Brad Binder and Jack Miller finished in 5th and 7th respectively in the Gran Premio d’Italia.
At the end of Round 6 of the MotoGP calendar, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing occupy 3rd spot in the Constructors’ Championship. Binder gained 11 points to hold onto 4th spot in the Riders’ Championship standings, now 15 points behind 3rd spot. Meanwhile, Miller currently sits in 7th position.
Next up, we head to Germany and the track at Sachsenring, which offers a completely different type of racing circuit compared to Mugello.
After maintaining his fourth-placed position in the Riders’ standings, Brad Binder said: “Quite happy with 5th place today considering we started in 10th but we want more! We had a stronger main race today compared to the Sprint yesterday where we lost the opportunity to make more points.
“I would say our highlight of the weekend is the fact that our guys have built a rocket! It’s working well and we cannot argue with the top speed. Going forward we have some small details to work on and I think we’ll be stronger than what we were today.”
Picking up some very helpful points at Mugello, Jack Miller said: “Somewhat satisfied but wanting more. The bike was working well all weekend, we had another decent start today but we were just missing a bit of pace at the beginning compared to the other boys.
“Around mid-race the gap stabilized and I felt like I was getting more and more comfortable. 7th and ten seconds away from the win meant decent points. Looking forward to Sachsenring already.”
Commenting on the team’s weekend performance, Red Bull KTM Team Manager Francesco Guidotti said: “There was a lot of expectation around this GP because we know that Mugello is a very special track and it is very demanding. We were keen to get here and to understand where we are with our current race package.
“Brad’s 5th place was not bad but our expectations are higher. Still, the top five is our target every race. Jack did a good job today but said he lacked some feeling on the track from the start and couldn’t push as he wanted.
“Overall, the achievement of the top speed record is in the books. Let’s go to Sachsenring with a lot of confidence. We’ll be on track again very soon and hoping for good results.”