Brad Binder arrives at Red Bull GP of the Americas as leader of Moto3 standings and with perfect podium record from first two rounds. Bo Bendsneyder faces another completely unfamiliar circuit.

With two podium finishes from the first two races of the year, diagnosis Brad Binder is the leader of the overall standings in Moto3 for the first time in his career. After a successful race last Sunday, the South African and teammate Bo Bendsneyder travel to the USA this week to contest the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

Binder is the only rider to have placed on the rostrum in both of the two races contested so far in 2016. The Red Bull KTM Ajo man showed in Argentina that he is one of the riders with the best pace in Moto3, achieving his first World Championship pole position. At Austin last year he placed in the Top 5, and this season his aim will be to fight for his first win and become the first South African to win in the lower cylinder class.

Round 3 completes a first series of unknown tracks for Bo Bendsneyder. At the Circuit of the Americas, the young rookie will seek to score points again, just as he did in the opening round of the season. To do this, it will be important to qualify well on Saturday, as the Dutchman proved in Argentina that he is able keep up with the fastest riders in the class.

This will be the fourth edition of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. On previous visits, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team have taken a victory (2014) and a podium (2013). The Moto3 race will start at 11.00 am -local time- on Sunday.

Circuit information – Austin
Length: 5.513 m / 3.426 miles
Width: 15 metres
Left corners: 11
Right corners: 9
Longest straight: 1.200 m / 0.746 miles
Constructed: 2012

41 BRAD BINDER

“The Circuit of the Americas is a track I enjoy riding. If we continue as we have been, I am sure we will have a good weekend, but for this to be possible it is necessary to work hard in all the sessions. It will be more important than ever to find a good race pace in practice, because at such a long track it is very important to be very consistent. We have had a good first two GPs and I have good memories of Austin, so I hope to get a strong result on Sunday.”

64 BO BENDSNEYDER

“For the second consecutive week we are racing at a completely new circuit for me. Fortunately, the team already have many years of experience there and this will certainly help me a lot when it comes to understanding it. The plan is the same as last week in Argentina, where we did pretty well. It will be important to improve in qualifying, because it is vital for the race. I have watched the race from last year to try to understand the track a little, and it looks like a pretty nice circuit, with a very long straight. It will be important to put in the maximum possible laps on Friday and play around with the setup later. I can’t wait to get out on the KTM and fight for points on Sunday.”