JOHANNESBURG – Rain played havoc in the early moments of the MotoGP category of the French Grand Prix on Sunday in Le Mans, with the riders pitting to change to their wet-tyre setups, with several crashes resulting, but unfortunately the chaos was not enough to help Brad Binder break into the top 10.
Binder had another weekend to forget on his KTM, starting 21nd on the grid after a poor qualifying session. With the white-flags calling in the riders as early as the fourth lap, there was an opportunity for Binder to take advantage of the change-up and the wet conditions, and make something of a terrible weekend for the team.
The 25-year-old arguably did well to stay on his bike as his counterparts battled to tame the conditions, but could only finish in 13th place. His teammate Miguel Oliveira, meanwhile, capped a horrible GP for KTM by crashing out.
The race belonged to Ducati’s Jack Miller of Australia, however, who put in a brilliant ride in tough conditions and with the track drying out in the later stages, to claim his second, successive victory of the season. What made it all the more impressive is that he grabbed the initiative, and the lead, after two long lap penalties for exceeding the speed limit in the pitlane.
He was followed by Johann Zarco in second, and world championship leader Fabio Quartararo, who all held their nerve on wet tyres that were quickly losing their grip and pace as the race came to a close.
IOL Sport