Brad Binder reversed his fortunes and was able to leave the dark and cloudy confines of the Motegi circuit in Japan with 6th position for the sixteenth round of the season. The South African started from 5th and banished the memory of his bad luck in the Sprint for a spirited charge. Jack Miller made his own fightback from a qualification slot of 14th to finish 10th.
MotoGP moved Motegi for a high-paced final appointment of the triple header that has taken in trips to Emilia Romagna, Indonesia and Japan in three consecutive weeks. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were fast and lively from the opening sessions at the 4.8km course where changeable weather conditions flirted between wet and dry asphalt for the three days of the Grand Prix program.
Binder started from P5 on the grid, Miller was P14 after their respective efforts and circumstances in Q1 and Q2 on Saturday. A technical issue had interrupted Brad’s attempt for a podium on Saturday while Jack tried some big set-up changes to rise to 8th in the same Sprint.
On Sunday, motivation and determination remained high as the clouds kept dry. Binder burst into the top three but Miller’s start was amazing and he passed nine riders to reach a highpoint of 5th! Brad and Jack then established their pace as the laps counted down and tire life had to be managed. The South African rode a largely lonely race until the final stages when he dropped to 6th. The Australian battled for 10th.
Binder is up to 5th in the world championship standings while Miller is 15th. KTM are ranked 2nd in the Constructors table. A one-week reprieve from racing will then take MotoGP into more back-to-back fixtures with trips to Phillip Island, Buriram and Sepang for Australian, Thai and Malaysian Grands Prix and the final straight of the 2024 campaign.
Brad Binder, 6th: “In the beginning when I wanted to push on with the boys I kept losing the front but after a while everything felt OK for a section of the race. Then with six-seven laps to go the rear tire went and it was spinning all the way down the straight. It was really difficult to keep clean and consistent. In general everything else was quite OK. Not the race I wanted…but it was all we had today.”
Jack Miller, 10th: “We made a bit more headway with the bike and I made the best pace I could. I can generally get away good and hit my marks. I was in the right spot at the right time. It was fun to be there at the beginning. We’re struggling a bit with mid-corner and corner exit speed. The front is stable and it stayed solid all race but we still have some work to do. This hard-braking track was good for us. We’ll come back next week and give it a crack at the Island and see how it goes there.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A good start for our boys. They were both top five and especially Jack made a great effort from the back. They kept their positions. It was a tough race and a long distance. We cannot complain, top ten and close to the top five. It’s what we have from this Grand Prix and now we have to look forwards.”
Results MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 42:09.790
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati +1.189
3. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +3.822
6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +18.502
10. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +31.184
DNF. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS
DNF. Pedro Acosta (ESP) GASGAS
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Ducati, 392 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 382
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Ducati, 313
5. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 183
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) GASGAS, 181
15. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 66
21. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS, 20
KTM GP Academy
The first race on the agenda at Motegi let the roaming hoards of Moto3 loose around the 14 corners and for a 17-lap distance. Red Bull KTM Ajo prepped Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza to start from 14th and 22nd positions and with hopes that the Spanish youngsters could touch the leading group and then the battle for Grand Prix points respectively. Rueda was one of four riders disputing the top ten in the second breakaway while Zurutuza was further back with his race pace. Jose Antonio set the fastest lap twice as he pushed up from 14th to P8 and then was able to seize 5th position after a typically fraught final two lap charge. Zurutuza was 18th for a decent reply to his DNF in Indonesia one week previously.
Celestino Vietti and Deniz Öncü spearheaded Red Bull KTM Ajo priorities for maximum points haul in Moto2. The pair has qualified close – Vietti in 11th while Öncü was 13th - and that allowed them to search for slots with the leaders as the pack ran close in the formative stages of the restarted 12-lap distance; reduced after rain fell less than a minute after the lights went out. A drying track skewed the results and favoured those riders who made the choice for slick tires. Celestino scored 7th and Deniz was 17th.
Results Moto3 Japanese Grand Prix
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 33:03.606
2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.525
3. Adrian Fernandez (ESP) Honda +0.766
4. Daniel Holgado (ESP) GASGAS +1.168
5. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.209
7. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna +2.336
15. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +13.294
17. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) GASGAS +22.452
18. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +22.539
World Championship standings Moto3
1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 321 points (Champion)
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) GASGAS, 212
3. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 209
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 121
12. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 81
15. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) GASGAS, 50
17. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 45
22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 11
Results Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 22:52.521
2. Ai Ogura (JPN) +2.535
3. Filip Salac (CZE) +9.103
7. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +53.847
10. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO +58.933
13. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO +59.952
15. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna +1:03.495
17. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1:08.863
20. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna +1.10.296
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Ai Ogura (JPN), 228 points
2. Sergio Garcia (ESP), 168
3. Alonso Lopez (ESP), 163
8. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 140
9. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO, 133
16. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna, 50
17. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna, 47
19. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 34
20. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO, 34