Brad Binder's Valencia test progress: “I've felt like we were riding on one wheel”
Brad Binder ended the Valencia test encouraged by balance and braking progress during a "seamless" first day with new crew chief Phil Marron.
Brad Binder’s final day of the year on a MotoGP bike, at Tuesday’s Valencia test, marked the start of his new crew chief partnership with Phil Marron.
“Really good. Honestly, I enjoyed working with him,” Binder said of his debut alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu's former WorldSBK crew chief.
After a delayed start due to a damp track, Binder rode for 52 laps, setting the ninth fastest time, just 0.338s from leader Raul Fernandez.
“The day went really seamlessly, even though we basically had a half day we managed to squash everything in.
“Really happy with the progress we made today.
“The bike felt good. We tried a different seat unit, which was more comfortable, the ergo was quite nice.
“I'm not too sure what the whole function is behind it, but it's just a little bit more narrow and it allows us to move a little bit more freely on the bike.
“Then we tried a couple more aeros, which seemed to give me a feeling that the bike is a bit more balanced between the two wheels, so I enjoyed that as well. A positive test.”
The South African, looking to rebound from his toughest season in the premier-class, added: “It just made me feel like I was a bit more between the two wheels rather than just on the nose.
“I've felt like for a long time now that we're really riding on one wheel. So it felt really nice to be planted between the two.
“We didn't have time to really play too much, it was literally just bolting stuff on. So I feel like there's a step there and it's going to be good once we have some more time on it.”
Braking gains were another source of optimism, especially if KTM can combine the best attributes of the different aero options.
“With one I could definitely brake a lot harder and stop better. With the other, I could also stop a bit better [than the standard aero], but not as much, and then it turned a bit more.
“So I think when they start chucking the combos together it could be really, really cool.”
Team-mate Pedro Acosta was the leading KTM rider, in fifth.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
