Brad Binder: Pressure and pride of South Africa’s only MotoGP rider
The first South African to race in the top-tier MotoGP class in 20 years, Brad Binder believes he will stand firm in the face of pressure as he looks to make South Africa proud.
One World title isn’t enough
Binder is already a World Champion for South Africa, and nothing can take that away from him.
The lad from Potchefstroom won the 2016 Moto3 title with KTM, taking seven of 18 wins in a dominant season.
Sticking with Red Bull KTM, he spent three years in the next category up, Moto2, where he made a win-less start before taking three P1s in his second season and five in his third.
That year, 2019, he missed out on the title by three points to Álex Márquez.
But like his Spanish rival, he too earned a promotion to the premier MotoGP class with his performances.
Last November, Binder was confirmed as a factory KTM rider for the 2020 season, replacing Johann Zarco who quit the team mid campaign.
Binder will be the first South African to take the grid in the four-stroke era when he lines up in Qatar.
He may not be expecting a flying start, but he is hoping that in time he can hand KTM another World title.
“Someone like KTM – who clean up pretty much wherever they race – expect nothing less from the MotoGP team,” he said in an interview with Speedweek.com. “If you look at the progress they have made, that’s great. But I’m sure that they expect even more this year.
“On the one hand, I’m full of anticipation because I think I’ll get there at a great pace and things will really get better step by step. And I’ve been at KTM since Moto3, so I know all the people and understand how things go.
“KTM is 100 percent here to win, so the pressure is there. You have this big manufacturer behind you and more than anything else I want to give them the results they deserve.
“Everyone here has worked so hard for it and I don’t know if it will happen now or how long it will take, but I am sure that I can do a good job for KTM.”
Pressure and pride
The 24-year-old, who has said in the past that he hails from a family of “petrol heads”, is not the only Binder on the track at race weekends.
His younger brother Darryn also races and this season he will continue in Moto3 with CIP Green Power.
Big brother, though, is the only the one in MotoGP, and he’s the only won winning.
Every victory, of which Binder has 15 in the past four years, comes with the emotional moment of standing on the top step of the podium with the South African flag at his back and the national anthem belting out across the circuit.
Binder wants more of those moments.
“It was always an advantage for me to be the only South African,” he said. “My brother was with me in Moto3 and is still racing there, but in the MotoGP class I will be the only South African to compete in the premier class after a long time.
“On the one hand, it’s great, I’ve been to South Africa and the hype is big. It’s great to see how many people are more excited than I am. It’s crazy.
“On the other hand, it brings pressure because you can feel the whole country behind you.
“On the other hand, I’m proud – there’s no better feeling than winning a race and then seeing the flag and hearing the national anthem. I think I’m probably the proudest South African there is!
“There is no place in the world where I would rather spend my life, so I really want to do a good job and make my home proud.”
‘Lucky’ to have Espargaro as his team-mate
Binder will partner Pol Espargaro in his first season in MotoGP.
The 28-year-old Spaniard, who previously raced for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team, is spending his fourth year with KTM.
Binder feels he could not ask for a better team-mate to learn from.
“I consider myself lucky to have such a great team-mate like Pol,” he said. “Team-mates always push each other and he has a lot of experience.
“He has been on the KTM for three years and the way he drives the motorcycle is incredible. He pulled me a few laps around the track during the tests. The way you have to ride the bike looks like hard work! He moves a lot on the motorcycle, it looks like a fight.
“I have to learn a lot to get to this point. It looks like he has a lot of trust in the bike, which is great to see and analyse in the data. Pol is also a great guy to talk to. I think I can ask him anything and he will always try to help me.”
The 2020 MotoGP season begins in Qatar on 8 March.
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