Brad Binder provides lowdown after testing KTM’s Ducati-style mass damper

Brad Binder had a busy official MotoGP test at Aragon on Monday, as the Red Bull KTM rider evaluated numerous aerodynamic options and revisited the factory’s Ducati-style mass damper.

Binder joined his fellow KTM riders in trying multiple aero configurations during the day.

The South African, who has battled persistent front-end understeer throughout the season – contributing to a costly crash from fifth during Sunday's Aragon Grand Prix - revealed a reduction in downforce showed potential benefits.

“We ran through I don't know how many aero configurations. That's why I'm so late because we're just making sense of them all,” Binder explained on Monday evening.

“We tried some stuff that had maybe a little bit less downforce, which seemed to give us a little bit more margin on the tyres.

“It seemed to give us a little bit more freedom at the front, and also on throttle we didn't overload the rear tyre as fast. So, I think there's some potential in that area.”

Brad Binder's admission at Aragon MotoGP test

Binder admitted, however, that no single aero package stood out as dramatically better across all areas.

“There was nothing insane," Binder admitted candidly. "It's such a busy day testing where you're just throwing stuff at it all the time, and it's sometimes difficult to know exactly what's what until you do like a full check.”

New Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini has struggled most with the RC16’s off-brake understeer this season, but Binder acknowledged it’s also an issue for him.

“We've had it for a long time now where we have a lot of understeer on the front. It's something I'm really looking to fix.

“When I fell off in the race, it more or less started like small chatter, a little bit of understeer, and it was gone.

“But it's always there, so that's one area we want to improve.”

Like other KTM riders, Binder revisited the Ducati-style mass damper, located inside the so-called ‘salad box’ at the rear of his KTM.

“This mass damper, it works really well when it can match [vibration] frequencies or when we have a certain type of issue,” he explained.

“But if we have others, sometimes it works against you. It’s something that's still in the process and we're working on it.

“I feel like when it works, it's an advantage, but when it's a bit out of sync, it's a little bit worse.

“So it's just a matter of time for the guys to figure it out and put it all together.”

Binder is currently just 14th in the MotoGP world championship, DNFs leaving him with just three points from the past three rounds.