Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder cross the finish line at the Red Bull Grand Prix of Argentina in fourth and fifth, respectively.  Karel Hanika, seventh, takes best Grand Prix result to date.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team had a great showing at the third race of the season, held at Argentina’s Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. All three of the team’s riders placed inside the top seven. Miguel Oliveira recovered fourteen places to finish fourth, just one position ahead of teammate Brad Binder -who also made a stellar comeback to move up fifteen places. Seventh place went to Karel Hanika, in what is his best result to date in the World Championship.

Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder both had to make comebacks after early setbacks in Argentina. The Portuguese had started from pole position and had kept up with the frontrunners until Lap 4, when a mistake dropped him down to eighteenth. He was behind Brad Binder, who had been twentieth on the opening lap. The pair gradually moved back up the order and got amongst the group fighting for second place -where Karel Hanika was waiting for them.

The three young riders battled in a group that included up to fourteen riders, culminating in a thrilling final lap. Oliveira, Binder and Hanika gave their all to cross the finish line in fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively.

After three Grands Prix in 2015, Brad Binder lies sixth overall with 28 points. Karel Hanika is ninth with 18 points, whilst Miguel Oliveira took his first 13 points today and lies twelfth. The Moto3 World Championship resumes in two weeks’ time, at Jerez in Spain.

Results – Race
1. Danny Kent (Honda) 38:25.621
2. Efren Vazquez (Honda) +10.334
3. Isaac Viñales (Honda) +10.396
4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +10.767
5. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +11.117
7. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +11.388

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2015
1. Danny Kent (Honda) 66 points
2. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 49 points
3. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 40 points
4. Fabio Quartararo (Honda) 39 points
5. Isaac Viñales (Husqvarna) 33 points
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 28 points
9. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 18 points
12. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 13 points

Miguel Oliveira,
“Today’s race was a little strange. I made a good start from pole position and I tried to pull away from the group, but in an instant I was overtaken by six riders. In that moment Danny Kent took the opportunity to escape. Nevertheless, I felt strong and I was able to finish the race, which was the main goal after the first two races. I was fourth in the end and could not get on the podium, but I’m happy for the team because they made a great effort to find the best setup. Also, we can still get faster, so I’m not worried about Jerez. We must continue to work in the same way and the results will come.”

Brad Binder,
“It was a good day, because we completely changed the setup between qualifying and the warmup session and I felt much more confidence with the front.
The race went well, because I made a good start and overtook a lot of riders. A number of my rivals passed me on the back straight and, on the following corner, one of them got in my way and sent me off-track. When I got back on I was in around twentieth, so I tried to stay relaxed and keep overtaking riders whenever I saw the chance. I want to thank my team, because the bike was working incredibly -much better than it had done before during the weekend. It was the best it has been since I started with it, so I am very happy. It’s another Top 5 finish, so I can’t wait for the next race.”

Karel Hanika,
“Today’s race went very well. I even think I could have finished a couple of positions higher, but it was a very large group that I was in. I made a good start -I think I was up into fourth or fifth- but then several riders overtook me and I lost ten positions. I tried to stay in there and gain a couple of places without risking any contact -something that could easily have happened. I tried to go about my work and enjoy the race. During the last few laps I pushed hard to move up as many positions as possible, and in the end I finished with my best result in the World Championship. I’m happy with the race and I want to thank my team very much, because I enjoyed this weekend a lot. I hope that we keep this up in Jerez and for the rest of the season.”

Aki Ajo,
“The Moto3 race was very hotly contested. Watching this type of racing is always very exciting, although it is very difficult for everyone out there. This is one of those circuits in which you can dive into the corners and much confusion is created during the race. These types of circuits are very hard for Moto3 riders and, although the circuit is very nice, fighting for positions on it is not easy. I’m happy because we took a step forward with our bikes during the weekend. As I have repeated on other occasions, in the winter conditions did not make things easy for us and we needed more time with the bikes. I’m happy that KTM have helped us to understand the bikes better. I think that very soon we will be able to fight for the victory. I am also very satisfied with the performance of our three riders. Really good!”