Brad Binder (born 11 August 1995) is a South African Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He is most-known for winning the 2016 Moto3 World Championship. In November 2019 he was confirmed as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider in MotoGP class for the 2020 season,[1] replacing Johann Zarco who had abandoned his factory ride earlier during that year.

Brad Binder
NationalitySouth African
Born (1995-08-11) 11 August 1995 (age 29)
Potchefstroom, South Africa
Current teamRed Bull KTM Factory Racing
Bike number33
WebsiteBrad Binder 33
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years2020
ManufacturersKTM
Championships0
2024 championship position5th (217 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
92 2 11 0 4 925
Moto2 World Championship
Active years20172019
ManufacturersKTM
Championships0
2019 championship position2nd (259 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
52 8 15 1 3 585
Moto3 World Championship
Active years20122016
ManufacturersKalex KTM (2012)
Suter Honda (2013)
Mahindra (20132014)
KTM (20152016)
Championships1 (2016)
2016 championship position1st (319 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
88 7 20 6 7 677
125cc World Championship
Active years2011
ManufacturersAprilia
Championships0
2011 championship positionNC (0 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
5 0 0 0 0 0

Previously, he had competed in the Moto2 class during 2019, with the Ajo KTM team,[1] finishing the championship in second place. Prior to moving up into Grand Prix level, Binder contested three seasons of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, with a best finish of fifth overall in the championship standings.

At the 2016 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix in Jerez, Binder became the first South African to win a motorcycle Grand Prix since Jon Ekerold won the 350 cc class at the 1981 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix. From 2017, Binder raced in the Moto2 class having agreed to a deal with Ajo Motorsport.[2]

Binder's younger brother Darryn is also a motorcycle racer, and competed alongside Binder in Moto3 in both 2015 and 2016.

Binder became the first, and so far, the only South African to win a MotoGP championship race at the 2020 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix, also becoming the first rider to win with KTM in the premier class, as well as being the first rookie to win in MotoGP since Marc Márquez at the 2013 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas.

Career

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Early career

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He began his motorsports career in go-karting in 2003. In 2005, he switched to two wheels, immediately winning several titles in the 50cc, 125cc and 150cc categories. In 2008, he made his international debut, competing in the Aprilia Superteens Series, a British competition. In his first race he finished in second place, but in the second race he crashed. In 2009, he raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup finishing 14th, in 2010 he finished 5th, and in 2011, he finished 7th.

125cc/Moto3 World Championship

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RW Racing GP (2011–2012)

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Binder started his Grand Prix career in the 125cc class riding an Aprilia for RW Racing GP in the 2011 season with his bike number as 14. Binder finished the season pointless, with his best position being a 17th place in Indianapolis.

In 2012, he switched to the Kalex KTM with his bike number changed to 41. Binder's first Moto3 point came at the 2012 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix. 2012 was a crash-filled season for Binder, with seven crashes. Binder scored four times in the season, with his best result of fourth place coming in Valencia. He finished the season at 21st place with 24 points.

Abrogio Racing (2013–2014)

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In 2013, Binder switched from Kalex KTM to Suter Honda and later to Mahindra with the team Ambrogio Racing. 2013 was a consistent year for Binder; he scored in 14 out of the 18 races, his best result being a fourth place at Spain; he finished the final standings at 13th place with 66 points. In 2014, he improved with 2 podiums to 11th place.

Red Bull KTM Ajo (2015–2016)

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In 2015, Binder again switched teams to the KTM factory-supported Ajo Motorsport. His first season on the new machine was largely positive with regular points finishes and 4 podiums leading to an overall 6th place finish.

 
Binder in 2016

In the 2016 season, he built on this success with 7 wins and 14 podiums en route to his first world championship, with a 142 point margin over 2nd place.

Moto2 World Championship

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Red Bull KTM Ajo (2017–2019)

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2017
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In 2017, Binder moved up to the Moto2 class, continuing with Red Bull KTM Ajo. In his first season he achieved 3 podiums on the way to 8th place in the riders' standings; despite having an injury and being forced to miss a few rounds.

2018
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In 2018, Binder improved with 3 wins and consistent points finishes to achieve 3rd place in the championship.

2019
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In 2019, after a difficult start to the season for KTM with the new Triumph engine, Binder took 5 wins and 9 podiums to finish in 2nd place as the best KTM rider, just 3 points off champion Álex Márquez.

MotoGP World Championship

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2020–present)

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2020
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Binder racing in 2020

Binder made his MotoGP debut with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in the 2020 season.[1] Binder won his first MotoGP race at the third round of the season in Brno. This was also the first race win for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in the premier class.[3]

2021
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Binder, along with KTM, had a rough start to the 2021 season. Despite this, he maintained top ten positions and got into the top 5 four times, with two 5th places at Portimao and Mugello and two 4th place finishes at Sachsenring and Assen.

Binder scored a surprise home track victory for KTM at the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix when, with 5 laps remaining and rain beginning to fall, he decided to take the chance of finishing the race on slicks while most other leading riders chose to pit and swap to motorcycles fitted with wet tires. The gamble paid off and despite extremely slick conditions and mostly ineffective brakes due to the wet and cold track surface, he was able to withstand a late charge by Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia and win the race.

2022
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Binder stayed with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for a third consecutive season for the 2022 World Championship.[4] He started off the year with an overachieving 2nd place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix.[5] From then on, Brad has been a consistent top 10 finisher, with a tendency to perform better in race trim than in qualifying trim, as has been the case with his teammate Miguel Oliveira.[6] He attained his first ever top 3 qualifying result in MotoGP at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, which he followed up with his second podium finish of the season, in 2nd position.

2023
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Binder signed a contract with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in June 2021, to remain with the team for the 2023 World Championship and 2024.[7] He showed his class by winning the Sprint race in Argentina (2023) at the 2nd race of the season coming from 15th on the grid.[8]

On the weekend of the 2023 Austrian round, Binder extended his contract, which keeps him there until the end of 2026.[9]

Career statistics

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Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts
2009 SPA1
13
SPA2
10
ITA
Ret
NED
16
GER
Ret
GBR
15
CZE1
11
CZE2
14
14th 17
2010 SPA1
4
SPA2
Ret
ITA
3
NED1
7
NED2
7
GER1
2
GER2
2
CZE1
7
CZE2
4
RSM
Ret
5th 109
2011 SPA1
2
SPA2
Ret
POR1
1
POR2
17
GBR1
15
GBR2
Ret
NED1
10
NED2
20
ITA
10
GER1
2
GER2
9
CZE1
12
CZE2
10
RSM
Ret
7th 95

CEV Buckler Moto3 Championship

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos Pts
2012 Suter Honda JER NAV ARA CAT ALB1 ALB2 VAL
1
17th 25

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

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By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh
2011 125cc Aprilia RW Racing GP 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Andalucía Banca Cívica
2012 Moto3 Kalex KTM RW Racing GP 17 0 0 0 0 24 21st
2013 Moto3 Suter Honda Ambrogio Racing 11 0 0 0 0 46 13th
Mahindra 6 0 0 0 0 20
2014 Moto3 Mahindra Ambrogio Racing 18 0 2 0 1 109 11th
2015 Moto3 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 18 0 4 0 3 159 6th
2016 Moto3 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 18 7 14 6 3 319 1st 1
2017 Moto2 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 15 0 3 0 2 125 8th
2018 Moto2 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 18 3 3 1 1 201 3rd
2019 Moto2 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 19 5 9 0 0 259 2nd
2020 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 14 1 1 0 2 87 11th
2021 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 18 1 1 0 0 151 6th
2022 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 20 0 3 0 1 188 6th
2023 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 20 0 5 0 1 293 4th
2024 MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 18 0 1 0 0 206* 6th*
Total 235 17 46 7 14 2187 1

By class

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Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
125cc 2011 2011 Indianapolis 5 0 0 0 0 0 0
Moto3 2012–2016 2012 Qatar 2014 Japan 2016 Spain 88 7 20 6 7 677 1
Moto2 2017–2019 2017 Qatar 2017 Australia 2018 Germany 52 8 15 1 3 585 0
MotoGP 2020–present 2020 Spain 2020 Czech Republic 2020 Czech Republic 90 2 11 0 4 925 0
Total 2011–present 235 17 46 7 14 2187 1

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pos Pts
2011 125cc Aprilia QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED ITA GER CZE INP
17
RSM ARA JPN
20
AUS
21
MAL
Ret
VAL
Ret
NC 0
2012 Moto3 Kalex KTM QAT
Ret
SPA
Ret
POR
11
FRA
Ret
CAT
Ret
GBR
17
NED
20
GER
Ret
ITA
24
INP
Ret
CZE
20
RSM
16
ARA
16
JPN
Ret
MAL
12
AUS
14
VAL
4
21st 24
2013 Moto3 Suter Honda QAT
12
AME
9
SPA
4
FRA
8
ITA
14
CAT
12
NED
15
GER
9
INP
Ret
CZE
Ret
GBR
Ret
13th 66
Mahindra RSM
18
ARA
12
MAL
11
AUS
15
JPN
10
VAL
12
2014 Moto3 Mahindra QAT
15
AME
Ret
ARG
14
SPA
Ret
FRA
14
ITA
9
CAT
6
NED
9
GER
2
INP
9
CZE
6
GBR
15
RSM
6
ARA
8
JPN
3
AUS
15
MAL
Ret
VAL
9
11th 109
2015 Moto3 KTM QAT
10
AME
5
ARG
5
SPA
3
FRA
Ret
ITA
10
CAT
9
NED
7
GER
7
INP
8
CZE
3
GBR
Ret
RSM
5
ARA
Ret
JPN
17
AUS
3
MAL
2
VAL
4
6th 159
2016 Moto3 KTM QAT
2
ARG
3
AME
3
SPA
1
FRA
1
ITA
1
CAT
2
NED
12
GER
8
AUT
2
CZE
Ret
GBR
1
RSM
1
ARA
2
JPN
2
AUS
1
MAL
17
VAL
1
1st 319
2017 Moto2 KTM QAT
20
ARG
9
AME SPA FRA ITA
10
CAT
17
NED
13
GER
7
CZE
12
AUT
7
GBR
9
RSM
4
ARA
5
JPN
Ret
AUS
2
MAL
2
VAL
3
8th 125
2018 Moto2 KTM QAT
6
ARG
Ret
AME
6
SPA
6
FRA
9
ITA
6
CAT
6
NED
7
GER
1
CZE
6
AUT
6
GBR
C
RSM
8
ARA
1
THA
4
JPN
5
AUS
1
MAL
8
VAL
Ret
3rd 201
2019 Moto2 KTM QAT
12
ARG
6
AME
Ret
SPA
5
FRA
4
ITA
15
CAT
11
NED
2
GER
2
CZE
Ret
AUT
1
GBR
3
RSM
6
ARA
1
THA
2
JPN
12
AUS
1
MAL
1
VAL
1
2nd 259
2020 MotoGP KTM SPA
13
ANC
Ret
CZE
1
AUT
4
STY
8
RSM
12
EMI
Ret
CAT
11
FRA
12
ARA
11
TER
Ret
EUR
7
VAL
5
POR
Ret
11th 87
2021 MotoGP KTM QAT
14
DOH
8
POR
5
SPA
Ret
FRA
13
ITA
5
CAT
8
GER
4
NED
12
STY
4
AUT
1
GBR
6
ARA
7
RSM
9
AME
9
EMI
11
ALR
10
VAL
7
6th 151
2022 MotoGP KTM QAT
2
INA
8
ARG
6
AME
12
POR
Ret
SPA
10
FRA
8
ITA
7
CAT
8
GER
7
NED
5
GBR
11
AUT
7
RSM
8
ARA
4
JPN
2
THA
10
AUS
10
MAL
8
VAL
2
6th 188
2023 MotoGP KTM POR
6
ARG
171
AME
135
SPA
21
FRA
62
ITA
5
GER
Ret6
NED
45
GBR
39
AUT
22
CAT
Ret4
RSM
145
IND
44
JPN
Ret2
INA
6
AUS
4
THA
32
MAL
Ret5
QAT
57
VAL
32
4th 293
2024 MotoGP KTM QAT
22
POR
4
AME
9
SPA
6
FRA
8
CAT
8
ITA
106
NED
66
GER
98
GBR
Ret4
AUT
57
ARA
46
RSM
47
EMI
196
INA
8
JPN
6
AUS
7
THA
69
MAL
DNS7
SLD
69
5th 217

References

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  1. ^ a b c KTM 2020 shake-up: Binder to factory MotoGP team, Lecuona Tech3 crash.net, 24 October 2019, Retrieved 21 November 2019
  2. ^ "Red Bull KTM Ajo take on Moto2 in 2017". Dorna Sports. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  3. ^ Duncan, Lewis (9 August 2020). "Czech Republic MotoGP: Binder stuns for KTM to take maiden win at Brno". Autosport.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. ^ "2022 MotoGP World Championship - Final rider line-up". Crash. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  5. ^ Post, Janine Van der. "SA's Brad Binder starts 2022 MotoGP season with a stellar performance, takes 2nd place". Wheels. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  6. ^ "'The others make a bigger step' - can KTM 'figure out' qualifying?". Crash. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  7. ^ Duncan, Lewis (1 June 2021). "Binder keeps KTM MotoGP ride through to 2024". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  8. ^ "2023 MotoGP rider line-up: Full team and rider line-ups confirmed". crash.net. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Binder ties long-term MotoGP future to Red Bull KTM". www.motogp.com. Dorna Sports. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
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