Johannesburg - Brad Binder remains steadfast in his belief that something wonderful is brewing at Red Bull KTM as the MotoGP season pivots towards the European leg of their racing calendar.
After three races, Binder is ninth in the world riders’ championship having finished sixth at the season opening Portuguese GP, 17th in Argentina and most recently, 13th at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
He enjoyed a degree of success in Argentina, winning the sprint race on the Saturday with a spectacular performance.
That has been the highlight of his season so far, however, although he remains a consistent force come race-day.
With the next nine races located mostly in Europe, the 27-year-old is confident that after an oscillating start to his season, KTM are on the verge of finding that final step that will ensure triumph.
“We have made such a massive step forward with the motorbike” Binder told Independent Media from his base in Andorra yesterday.
“It is so much more competitive than last season ... In Austin, for example, I went one and half seconds faster than the previous season.
“I think we have made a bigger step than the others. Going forward, I think we are going to be in for a good season.
“I am happy with where the bike is now, and we are closer to our competitors. I believe I can do something, and I can really fight to be on podiums and hopefully score some points.
“For sure,” he added, “there is always that limit that when everything gets more competitive and the bike is more on the edge, it is easier to make mistakes.
“I need to understand, a little bit better, where those limits are on the bike because we have made a couple of mistakes this season. Unfortunately, I got wiped out of the one race and the other race was my first crash since this time last year.
“I don’t really make too many mistakes, so I am hoping my one per season is out of the way and from here we can just try and stay competitive.”
So far this season, KTM have found themselves amongst the best of the rest category, which they will hope to overturn starting with the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. Ducati have been the early pacesetters this season.
The Italian motorcycle manufacturer leads the riders’ championship through Marco Bezzecchi, and are also in firm control of the constructors’ championship and team standings. They are the ultimate target to overcome regarding any goals Binder and Co want to achieve.
“It has been tricky,” Binder admitted while speaking of the irrepressible form of Ducati so far this year, “because they have made such a big step up and it doesn’t matter who is on top of it, they were strong straight away.
“But it doesn’t matter who they are or what they are on, you want to win. There are 22 competitors out there and the goal is to beat every one of them.
“Qualifying is a bit tricky because they are fast, especially over one lap, so it makes it a bit more difficult. But saying that, we are so much closer to them now.
“The guys are working so hard back home at the factory. I honestly believe with a couple small steps; we will be there.
“I think we have got something special this year and I really want to put it all together and see how we manage it.”
Meanwhile, Binder continues to also grow a promising partnership with new teammate Jack Miller.
“Jack is a really good friend of mine. Australians are a lot like South Africans – we are very similar in the way we like to do things,” the South African said.
@FreemanZAR