Darryn Binder: Awesome, incredible, wheelieing the whole straight!

Darryn Binder, jumping straight from Moto3 to MotoGP, gets his first taste of the RNF Yamaha M1 at the start of the Jerez test.

Peter McLaren

18 Nov 2021

Darryn Binder, Jerez MotoGP test, 18 November 2021
© Gold and Goose

Of the five 2022 MotoGP rookies, none have a bigger job on their hands at this week's Jerez test than Darryn Binder.

While Remy Gardner, Raul Fernandez, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giannantonio have taken the usual route through Moto2, Binder is the first rider since Jack Miller in 2015 to leap straight to the premier-class from Moto3.

Fortunately for the South African, the Yamaha M1 machinery used by the new RNF team is considered the most rider-friendly on the grid.

And while the factory's world champion Fabio Quartararo may be pleading for more power to take on the Ducatis, it was an 'incredible' upgrade for Binder compared to the 250cc Honda he raced for SRT this season.

"It's been a really awesome day for me," said Binder. "It's a dream to jump on a MotoGP bike, today I got my first chance and just started off really slowly, step-by-step, and it's incredible the power!

"I had a smile on my face all day. It was going good, unfortunately we didn't complete as many laps as I would have liked.

"We had some little issues with the bike and also with the temperatures, that's the main problem, we can't start too early and you can't ride too late. So I'd rather play it safe and go when the temperatures are good!

"But we're taking it step-by-step, just going slowly. The bike feels really, really nice to ride, it's just to get used to the power and then learn as much as possible how to ride this kind of bike."

Binder – riding a 2021 spec machine - was 27th and last on the timesheets after his first 49 laps as a MotoGP rider, 4.4s behind Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) and 1s from fellow rookie Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati).

While it had been a special experience, Binder wasn't overawed.

"Honesty at the end of the day it's still just a motorcycle, of course the brakes are special and the power is insane, but when you get scared you close the throttle! So it's under your control at the end of the day," he said.

"It’s just that I think today was a little bit extra tricky with the wind. I'm not used to a bike wheelieing down the whole straight and when it starts to wheelie and the wind catches you it can be a bit tricky to keep going in a straight line!"

One thing that will help with the wheelies is the ride-height device, an area Binder is yet to touch.

"Right now, it's just put in tyres and fuel, doing laps," he said. "Not fiddling with the set-up at all and I'm not using the ride-height device or any of these things. I'm just going out there, riding.

"I come in and 'that was great! That felt awesome! Thanks guys let's go again!' Hopefully tomorrow we can do a few more [laps than today] and just get faster and faster. That's the goal."

Helping Binder's adaptation is brother and double KTM MotoGP winner Brad as well as RNF team-mate Andrea Dovizioso.

"My brother's obviously given me as much advice as possible, to make sure you bring the tyres up to temperature and make sure the brakes are up to temperature before you start to push. And all of these things.," Darryn said.

"But apart from that the biggest advice was just to take it step-by-step, don’t rush anything, don’t do anything silly in the beginning. Just go out and enjoy yourself and at the end of the day my brother always says, 'It's just a motorbike. You know how to ride a bike, just go out there, take your time. It's just the first test, take it easy and learn what you need to work on over the winter to be stronger next season'."

Dovizioso has been able to pass on some knowledge gained by finishing the season on a 2019 spec Yamaha, rather than the '21 used by Binder.

"He had a chat to me at lunchtime and gave me a few tips and some advice," Binder said. "His main thing he said to me was 'just go out there, do laps and take it slow and build-up'. He gave me some ideas on how to ride the bike and what you need. but right now the main thing I need is time."

Tech3 KTM's Fernandez was the fastest rookie, in 19th and 2.7s ahead of Binder. Dovizioso, trying the 2022 prototype for the first time, was just ahead of Fernandez in 18th.