MotoGP rounded the complex combination of 16 corners and gradients of the MotorLand circuit for the first time since 2022 and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing completed qualification and the Sprint at the Gran Premio de Aragon with Brad Binder scoring 6th in the Sprint. Teammate Jack Miller managed 13th as Jose Antonio Rueda qualified on the Moto3™ front row with the KTM RC4.
- Four points for a resurgent Binder after starting from 7th on the grid for the twelfth round of 2024 MotoGP
- Miller maintains his upward trend for competitiveness with decent speed but suffers with grip around the greasy MotorLand circuit and takes 13th in the Sprint
- Strong pace from Jose Antonio Rueda in front of home fans for 2nd in Moto3™ Q2 while class rookie Deniz Öncü earns his best qualification of the season with 4th in Moto2™
Hot, stormy conditions and intense record-breaking lap-times were the distinguishing features of round twelve of 2024 MotoGP and a return to the epic and open MotorLand venue for the fifteenth time since 2010. Red Bull KTM helped set the pace on a steamy Friday morning and across a slick new asphalt that became grippier as the Grand Prix progressed. Both Brad Binder and Jack Miller were unlucky to miss out on direct Q2 entry in the afternoon after setting top-five lap-times earlier in the day.
The South African and Australian had to push the limits in Q1 on Saturday and with the track state altering once more: thunderstorms had delivered rain across the venue that evening and FP2 was run with damp patches but thankfully qualification was dry. Jack initially topped Q1 but in the final flurry of laps was bumped to 5th as Brad was the only rider to find a time in the 1min 47 bracket and went into Q2 with 1st place. He then recorded the 7th quickest effort for the same rank on the grid.
The Sprint consisted of 11 laps. Binder charged through and fought with world champion Francesco Bagnaia. The low grip conditions caused havoc for many riders, especially with the launch from the grid and excessive wheelspin. Brad made his way to 6th while Jack was submerged in a hectic tussle for points and a couple of mistakes put him out of the top ten and down to 13th.
Moto3, Moto2 and then MotoGP races will roar into action from 11.00 CET and for 17, 19 and 23 laps on Sunday.
Brad Binder, 7th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “I started on the back foot with wheelspin all the way until the first turn and it meant I did not have enough speed to unclip my start devices. It was like that for most of the first lap and I lost some positions. After that I tried to find my bearings and go forwards. It was dirty out there. It was hard to believe how low the grip was. I made a few mistakes but I was trying hard to play catch-up. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll get off the line clean and we’ll have a much better race because I felt like I could give the top three a good go.”
