Brad Binder after a heavy crash: “One less KTM for the museum”

A heavy crash in Q1 made Brad Binder’s MotoGP weekend in Japan a difficult one. After finishing 11th in the Grand Prix, the KTM rider was also frustrated by the overly cautious strategy regarding the rear tyre.

Sebastian Fränzschky

MotoGP

05.10.2026 - 09:25

This article is an automatically generated English version. The Original Article was published in German.

Brad Binder flog im Q1 ab und zerstörte dabei eine KTM RC16
© MotoGP

Mentioned in this article

Brad Binder

Topic of the week

Nicolo Bulega: Toprak’s successor will not fail in MotoGP

The Italian Nicolo Bulega is the first rider to have won the world title in both the Supersport and Superbike classes; from 2027, he will be racing in MotoGP. His performances this season are second to none.

Ivo Schützbach

Live

Mandalika: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

09.10.2026 - 02:55

Brad Binder left Motegi with five World Championship points and the feeling that he had squandered an opportunity. The South African finished the Japanese Grand Prix in 11th place, just behind Honda works rider Luca Marini. Trailing by 25.9 seconds, he was only the third-fastest KTM rider. Enea Bastianini demonstrated what was possible with the RC16: the Tech3 rider finished fourth, just 2.3 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez (Ducati).

Binder had already suffered a decisive setback on Saturday morning. In Q1, he initially battled to qualify for the second qualifying session. However, on his second attempt, he crashed before he could complete his next fast lap. Instead of a better starting position, he was left with 17th on the grid.

“A Saturday to forget. FP2 and my first attempt in Q1 didn’t go too badly, but then I ruined everything on the lap before my time attack on the second tyre. That was anything but ideal. It was a nasty crash. I felt as if a bus had rolled over me,” explained Binder on Saturday evening.

Recommendations

MotoGP
Vinales back on track after a successful outing: “Better than expected”

MotoGP
Global MotoGP growth with ‘local heroes’: the signs have been recognised

Moto2
Intact team boss stunned: Jürgen Lingg after Gonzalez’s debacle at Motegi

Mentioned in this article

Brad Binder

After the Q1 crash: help from Acosta’s crew and Tech3

His KTM had also suffered considerable damage. To ensure Binder could compete in the sprint, members of the KTM teams joined his own mechanics in helping to rebuild the bike. “I have to thank my team, as well as Pedro’s crew and the Tech3 lads. They took care of my bike so that it was ready just in time. There’ll certainly be one less KTM for the museum at the end of the year,” he joked.

Brad Binder kämpfte nach dem Q1-Sturz mit Schmerzen
© Gold & Goose

Topic of the week

Nicolo Bulega: Toprak’s successor will not fail in MotoGP

Ivo Schützbach

Live

Mandalika: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

09.10.2026 - 02:55

In the sprint, Binder initially made up places. But a run off into the gravel trap on lap 9 set him back. In the end, he could only manage 18th place. “The start in the sprint wasn’t too bad; I worked my way up to 12th place. From then on, I kept having problems in Turn 1. Then the front wheel locked up and I realised I couldn’t turn in like that because I was already leaning. I straightened the bike out and rode in a straight line.”

An overly conservative strategy cost him a better result

On Sunday, at least, the physical after-effects of the qualifying crash were less noticeable. “I felt much better physically than on Saturday. My physio did a good job. I felt like a human being again.”

For the Grand Prix, the focus was primarily on tyre durability. After several riders had struggled with rear tyres coming apart during the sprint, everyone opted for the hard rear tyre on Sunday. Although Binder hadn’t experienced any such problems in the short race, his team also prepared for a possible breakdown.

“In the warm-up, we tried the hard rear tyre, which surprised me in a good way. It was pretty good. Things went okay in the race. We dialled everything back a bit because we wanted to preserve the centre of the tyre,” explained Binder. Armed with the knowledge gained from the race, Binder could have taken a less conservative approach. “Looking back, I think we could have managed three race distances with it. So our set-up changes weren’t really good. But that happens. 11th place was the best we could manage.”

Nevertheless, Binder placed the blame for the disappointing race weekend primarily on himself. “So, all in all, it wasn’t a good weekend in Japan. I’d hoped for more. But I threw it away myself with the crash in Q1. That made the rest of my weekend more difficult.”

Seen already?

Newsletter

Motorsports News directly into your Inbox

Don't miss out on any highlights: The Speedweek newsletter, sent out twice a week, delivers the latest news, exclusive commentary and all the important dates from the world of motorsports - directly into your inbox

Topics