Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder will be the riders taking out the KTM for the first time in the intermediate category this weekend in Qatar.

After winning two World Championships in Moto3 -2012 and 2016- the Red Bull KTM Ajo team will debut in Moto2 this weekend in Qatar with Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder as riders. After a successful preseason in which they have already made a completely new bike competitive, the young duo face the first round of 2017 with enthusiasm and desire.
The only night race of the year will be even more special for Oliveira and Binder. The former returns to the team with whom he had the best season of his career so far, and the latter debut in the class after clinching the Moto3 World Championship. The pair have tested the KTM Moto2 bike in Valencia, Jerez and finally Qatar last week, and will look for the best possible result on Sunday. The South African has a fond memory of the track, where last year he took second position. Oliveira’s best result at Losail is a fourth place in 2014 in Moto3.
The debut for KTM in Moto2 will take place this Thursday with the first two Free Practice sessions. Another session will take place on Friday, and Saturday’s qualifying run will decide the grid for the long awaited Sunday race -held at 19.20 local time. So far, the weather forecast is rain for the whole weekend.

Circuit information – Losail International Circuit
Length: 5.380 metres / 3.343 miles
Width: 12 metres
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 10
Longest straight: 1.068 metres / 0.664 miles
Constructed: 2004

41 BRAD BINDER

“The final test in Qatar finished better than it started. Despite losing a whole day and a session on the last day because of the bad weather, we took a step forward and learned many new things every time I got on the bike; this made the job a lot easier. We are not where we wanted to be at this point of the season, but despite the late start to preseason because of my arm injury, I feel much more comfortable with the bike and I believe that in this first race I will continue to take steps forward. The podium I achieved last year in Moto3 is the best memory that I have of this track.”

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA

“The testing days were very positive. We found improvements for the bike that helped us gain confidence and although the times do not indicate that completely -since the conditions were not the best- I hope to start the season well, and that there are more stable conditions this weekend. The tests have not allowed us to see clearly who will be fighting at the front, but we are in the right direction to be one of the riders to take into account.”