Red Bull KTM Ajo rider qualifies in top three for first time in Grand Prix career, taking second on the grid for the San Marino GP. Oliveira places sixth and Hanika twenty-fourth.

Binder, San Marino Moto3 2015

The good omens from yesterday came true this afternoon at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, as Brad Binder took his first ever front row in the World Championship. After taking a further step forward in FP3, the South African Red Bull KTM Ajo rider claimed second place in the qualifying session. Miguel Oliveira, with a very good pace, will start from the second row in sixth, and Karel Hanika will take off from twenty-fourth.

Their feeling in the first FP sessions yesterday were very good, but the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders knew that the level of improvement with the new chassis would increase with further kilometres under their belts. FP3 served to confirm the good feeling and take another important step forward. Binder, second and 0.026s off the top spot, was among the riders with the best pace. Likewise, Oliveira and Hanika also lowered their times from yesterday, going eighth -1:42.837- and eighteenth -1:43.648-, respectively.

Binder and Oliveira started qualifying at the sharp end of the timesheets, and were prime candidates for pole position throughout the entire session as they led the way at various points. Binder eventually claimed a 1:42.523 lap, just 0.037s off pole. Oliveira was sixth with a 1:43.008 lap, and one of the riders with the best pace when riding alone. Hanika suffered a crash at Turn 7 late on in the session, which saw him relegated to twenty-fourth with a 1:43.898 lap.

Tomorrow’s race will start at 11:00am local time. The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders will look to increase the team’s strong Moto3 results from the last three races, which include a win and a podium finish.

Results (Qualifying practice)
1. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 1:42.486
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.523 +0.037
3. Danny Kent (Honda) 1:42.782 +0.296
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:42.812 +0.326
5. Romano Fenati (KTM) 1:42.983 +0.497
6. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.008 +0.522
24. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.898 +1.412

Miguel Oliveira,
“I am happy because I have a very good race pace with the tyre we will use tomorrow. In the last free practice I had a number of areas for improvement and I succeeded in doing so. I have been very consistent and I think that not improving my time in the QP was down to the conditions. I knew that on the last stint people would improve their times due to slipstreams. I tried to put myself in a good spot, but it was not to be and in the end I was sixth. I will start from the second row of the grid, which is not bad, and I will go on the attack.

I think the group at the front will not be too large, with six or seven bikes, because this is a track that allows you to escape a little. I’ll try to be up there and be prepared for the final laps.”

Brad Binder,
“Today’s qualifying session was very good for me; after being fourth on many occasions, I have finally managed to qualify on the front row! The truth is that I had a good feeling all day. KTM brought a new chassis at the beginning of the weekend and it is just what I needed -it’s working perfectly. It gives us much more stability, especially when cornering, so we have to thank them for the great work they have done.

Today I went out on track and I noticed right away how well the bike was doing and how comfortable I was riding. I think we have taken a very important step forward that I hope can be reflected tomorrow. Tomorrow will be difficult, because all the Italians will have the fans behind them at their home Grand Prix, but I will try to be up there on the final laps.”

Karel Hanika,
“In the last free practice I felt comfortable and had a good feeling, but we still had work to do. The setup was going in the right direction and my times were much better than yesterday. In the qualifying session we tried to go a step further, but we struggled and it didn’t work out for us. I was not able to match the times I had set in the morning and my feeling was not so good.

In the last few races we have got good times in qualifying and been far back in the race, so I hope that it is the other way around this time. We have to fight to try and make up positions and get closer to the front, right from the beginning.”