The Motorcycle World Championship started the new season at the weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix and KTM immediately set an exclamation mark in MotoGP in a duel with the Ducatis, which were mostly overpowering last year. Although world champion Francesco Bagnaia put the Desmosedici in first place under the floodlights at the Losail Circuit, Brad Binder made the Mattighofen team happy with second place following 21 thrilling laps.
The South African had already won this in the sprint on Saturday and only lost out to vice world champion Jorge Martin. On Sunday he turned the tables early. While Bagnaia pulled away from the front, Binder overtook the Spanish pole-sitter with his Ducati on lap eight and was from then on Bagnaia’s first pursuer. “I got close to ‘Pecco’, but he did an incredible job. He didn’t make a single mistake the entire race,” Binder then paid tribute to the Italian.
You also had to have it for two other protagonists yesterday. Former champion Marc Marquez completed the first race of the season on new work equipment, a Ducati, in fourth place. In the meantime, this was held by none other than rookie Pedro Acosta. The intrepid young KTM star, aged 19, finally came ninth in his very first competition in the premier class.
Miller crash on lap two
“If we continue like this, we will certainly be rewarded. We are now really on the heels of the Ducatis,” cheered Binder, who sees his RC16 at the next level. Teammate Jack Miller mightn’t say the same. He crashed on lap two and came last.
Dominik Feischl
