Chang International Circuit, Thailand: Brad Binder achieved another podium finish at a scorching Chang International Circuit, participating in an exhilarating Sunday race that marked the 2023 Thai Grand Prix, delivering the fourth closest podium finish in the history of the sport. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider fiercely contended for the lead and ultimately secured a 3rd place finish by the slimmest of margins.
Brad Binder’s ninth MotoGP podium makes him the most successful premier class rider from South Africa in history. Although #33 initially crossed the line in 2nd place, he was demoted to 3rd due to a track limits infringement on the final lap.
It was a challenging race for Jack Miller, who grappled with traction issues and setup difficulties, ultimately finishing in 16th place.
Following the upheaval experienced by the MotoGP class in Australia the previous weekend, where the Saturday Sprint was replaced by a full-distance race due to adverse weather forecasts and the Sunday schedule was canceled at Phillip Island, the Chang International Circuit offered a return to normalcy.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing watched Binder secure a sixth podium of the season in the Saturday Sprint and gathered crucial tyre data under race conditions for the Sunday 26-lap race. The sweltering heat presented a challenging and demanding scenario, reminiscent of the conditions faced by teams and riders in recent events in India and Indonesia.
Binder and Miller started the race from the 5th and 15th grid positions, recognising the importance of tyre preservation for maintaining race pace throughout the 26-lap competition.
Both RC16 riders had solid starts, and Binder quickly joined the frontrunners in the early stages of the race. The South African rider moved up from 5th to 2nd place and closed the gap to Jorge Martin. When Francesco Bagnaia joined the battle, a three-way fight for the victory ensued.
Binder briefly took the lead and closely followed Martin throughout the final lap. Although he crossed the finish line just 0.11 seconds behind Martin, Binder was relegated to 3rd place due to his minor excursion onto the green track limits. Nevertheless, this marked the ninth premier class podium of his career, all achieved with the KTM RC16, and the fourth of the season. Miller struggled to manage traction and drive grip, finishing in 16th place.
Binder currently holds the 4th position in the world championship standings and needs 61 points to challenge Marco Bezzecchi for a top-three spot, with only a maximum of 75 points available for the remainder of the season. Miller is in 10th place as he nears the end of his first season in MotoGP with the KTM team, which is currently ranked 4th, making KTM the second-best manufacturer.
After a well-deserved break, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will regroup at the Sepang International Circuit for the Malaysian Grand Prix from November 9th-12th.
After coming so close to a win, Brad Binder said: “I gave it my all today and held nothing back. I aimed to preserve my tyres while staying close to Jorge. I saw an opportunity to take the lead but my rear tyre gave out a lap later. We did our best. My team did an excellent job, and I’m confident that a win is on the horizon.”
Jack Miller, finishing 16th, said: “It was a long race, and I pushed as hard as I could. I’ve been struggling all weekend with Turn 1 and Turn 3. I didn’t make any major mistakes… I simply lacked the pace and drive. I lost too much time.
We need to analyse and understand why we couldn’t make this tyre work. I’m disappointed, but we’ll learn from this. MotoGP is in a great place right now, but it’s also incredibly challenging.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Team Manager, commented after the race: “It was an incredible race, and Brad put up a fantastic fight for the win with a strong result. Unfortunately, he exceeded track limits on the last lap, causing him to drop a position, but he did a remarkable job to maintain a top-three finish. We are already looking forward to the next race with great confidence. Jack’s situation was different as we couldn’t find the right setup with the special tyre allocation here. There’s still work to be done for sure.”