“Hopping” hurts Brad Binder’s chances “but what can you do?”
Brad Binder battled a mysterious braking problem but still salvaged seventh place in the Hungarian MotoGP.
Brad Binder climbed from 13th to seventh despite battling a ‘hopping’ problem through the Hungarian MotoGP race.
The factory KTM rider noticed something unusual with his RC16 before he even arrived on the grid.
The issue plagued Binder’s braking zones for the 26-lap contest, finishing at the back of a close four-rider pack, led by fourth-place Jorge Martin.
The South African first noticed the problem before the race had even begun.
“Going to the grid I had a lot of hopping on the rear when I was braking,” Binder explained. “We thought it was just the tyre maybe, but from the first lap to the end I had so much hopping.
“Whenever I would brake hard into the tight corners, if I just lifted the rear a bit, it would start hopping. So I had to be so careful to try and not lift because if I did it the hopping would just make the front start locking and I'd go straight.
"So a really, really difficult race. All things considered, seventh place wasn't a bad result. Would have loved a bit more for sure, but I took the most I possibly could.”
The cause of the problem remains a mystery.
“The guys will have a look at it,” he said. “When we were on the grid we thought maybe it was just the tyre out of balance, but it turned out it must be something else… Like maybe the clutch or something not quite working well.
"So a bit of a pity, but what can you do? At the end of the day to still finish seventh was pretty decent."
Although Binder has not been able to match the exploits of KTM team-mate Pedro Acosta, who claimed another podium with second place behind Marc Marquez, the #33 feels his season is starting to turn around.
“The last three rounds have probably been the best of the season so far. Things have started to roll and feel like normal,” Binder said.
“I think we are in for a good second half of the year. Here, I was too slow on Friday and then we missed out on Q2, and starting further back at this place was rough.”
Binder is eleventh in the MotoGP World Championship and, with Tech3's Maverick Vinales still out injured, is now the next best RC16 rider after Acosta (fifth).
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