Brad Binder picked up a handy 10 points from the Chang International Circuit this past weekend that the Red Bull KTM team will hope will not reflect another season with Ducati as the main acts, after three of their riders locked down all the podium places.
The South African rider fought his way through the field to improve from his 14th place start to end the race in eighth place, securing him seventh place in the drivers championship.
In conditions where the sun was just not shing but in full attack, the RC16 had its fair share of troubles over the course of the weekend and the South African had to show a lot of patience for most of the race.
“A really long race, for sure. I knew we had to be really easy on the rear tyre and I had to be smooth on the corner exit. Very tricky, especially because it is tempting to get excited and chase harder after people.” Binder commented after the race.
The next stop will be Argentina at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit and Binder hopes for an improved performance in a fortnight.
“I knew I had to be clever today but I also think I made a bit of a mistake with my tyre choice. Anyway, I think we did a pretty good job considering it wasn’t an easy weekend. The team did a great job, so we’ll keep on fighting and hope for more in Argentina.”
Racing team manager Aki Ajo was pleased with some of the data gathered this weekend in some of the testing conditions.
The Fin replaced Francesco Guidotti as the racing team manager at the start of this season and he also expects the RC16 to have a much better showing in cooler conditions.
“Generally, the first race weekend of the season is very important for information, and we need a couple of races to see where we are.” Ajo said post-race. “Every lap is important and after two tests and a GP in extreme conditions, this is helpful for the future.
“We know we need to improve in these types of climates but we also know that when it’s a bit cooler, then we are competitive. We are learning, and in this way I’m happy. Performance-wise, we have work to do.”