Brad Binder renews with Moto3 team for a further year, and will be joined by 2015 Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion Bo Bendsneyder.

Bendsneyder and Aki Ajo, Aragon MotoGP 2015

Red Bull KTM Ajo will compete in the 2016 Moto3 season with two riders, retaining current rider Brad Binder and highly-rated rookie, Bo Bendsneyder. The 16 year-old from Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the 2015 Red Bull Rookies Cup champion, and will debut in Grand Prix racing in 2016 in the Moto3 class with the three times World Championship winning team in the lower cylinder category (2008, 2010 and 2012). Binder has renewed his contract for another year with the team, and will have his sights set on the Moto3 title.

In his first season in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, in 2014, Bendsneyder placed ninth, taking one win (Assen) and a podium (Silverstone). In 2015, a record of eight wins and two podiums from eleven races allowed the young Dutchman to seal the title with victory at Misano with two rounds left of the season.

With this excellent performance, a move to the World Championship was inevitable. Red Bull KTM Ajo welcome him to the team for 2016, alongside Binder –himself a former Red Bull Rookie in 2009 and 2010. The South African is currently seventh in the Moto3 World Championship and holds two podiums this season (in Spain and the Czech Republic). He has already surpassed his points tally from last year, with four races to spare. 2016 will be the fifth season in the category for Binder.

The pairing allows Red Bull KTM Ajo to align a team that combines experience and youth, with which they will seek to fight for the title in the Moto3 class once again.

Aki Ajo,
“We are very excited to return to a team structure with two riders. We believe we can make a very potent group around Brad Binder and Bo Bendsneyder. Everyone is at different stages in their career, but it will be very beneficial for everyone. I would like to thank Red Bull, KTM and our other partners for making things possible for this team for another season.

I am very happy to continue working with Brad Binder for the second consecutive year, as this has been a good year with him. I am especially proud of the progress and the significant improvements that he has been making race after race. It’s really important to continue working together to keep growing next year. I think we are a strong partnership that can compete for the title next year.

It’s also very nice to have Bo [Bendsneyder] on our team. He is a talented rider who comes from the Red Bull Rookies Cup, as many of our riders in the past have done. We are excited to have another rookie join the World Championship with us, and I’m sure that with him we will take many steps forward and learn a lot together.”

Brad Binder,
“I am very happy to continue with Red Bull KTM Ajo next year and continue to progress together after what we have done this season. It is very important to continue in the same team and, after the podiums and fights for victories, finish the job next year by fighting for the title. I’m very confident in both the team and myself, since we have the potential to do it. The breakthrough that we made in 2015 has been focusing and improving my riding, instead of trying to solve things with the setup of the bike.

I welcome Bo [Bendsneyder] to the team. I am sure he will enjoy himself a lot with the people here and learn a lot. It is always good to have a rookie in the team, so we’ll have fun both on and off the track.

I’m looking forward to enjoy the remaining races this year, and starting next season stronger than ever.”

Bo Bendsneyder,
“Signing for Red Bull KTM Ajo is a dream come true. My career in the World Championship will begin next year, so I’m very happy with this opportunity that has been presented to me. It’s an honour to be part of this team, that have already been World Champions three times and always have very fast riders competing for them. I’m not setting any goals for the first year; I need to get to know the team and see how we go in the first test, then we’ll see where we need to be. I am very happy to share a team with Brad [Binder], a nice guy with whom I have spoken several times and whose experience I am sure will be a great help. I want to thank the Red Bull Rookies Cup and Red Bull KTM Ajo for this new stage in my career.”