Portuguese rider finishes 5th at the Dutch GP, competing in the lead group. Brad Binder continues to grow in the Moto2 class, with thirteenth place.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team continue to consolidate their Moto2 project with good results. This Sunday at the Dutch GP, Miguel Oliveira took fifth position –a third consecutive Top 5 placing, after those at Mugello and Barcelona. The Portuguese was part of the front group throughout the race, crossing the finish line only 6 tenths off the winner. Teammate Brad Binder was back amongst the points with thirteenth place.

In spite of the result, Miguel Oliveira finished the eighth round of the season with a bittersweet taste, as he had been aspiring to a podium finish. After a good start, which allowed him to go up to second, Oliveira took the lead for three laps. Later, he was part of a battle at the front with a total of six riders. Although he pushed hard until the last lap, in the end the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider placed fifth in one of the season’s finest Moto2 races.

Brad Binder made a strong start from the sixth row, gaining five positions in the first sector to go into twelfth. Early on, the South African remained in that position, leading a group of four riders. After dropping down one position, Binder rode by himself to take the chequered flag and further points.

Oliveira is fourth in the overall standings after the Dutch GP, with a total of 94 points. Binder, with 16, is seventeenth. The riders now head to the next round of the season, which takes place next weekend at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany.

Results (Race)
1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 39:39.120
2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) +0.158
3. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) +0.630
4. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +0.394
5. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.657
13. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +18.210

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2017
1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 148 points
2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 136 points
3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 113 points
4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 94 points
5. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 82 points
17. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 16 points

41 BRAD BINDER
“I’m not happy, but the result is not bad either. The weekend has been very difficult for us. Today I had a good start and I felt strong, but I still lack those 3 or 4 tenths per lap that can make a difference. I give many thanks to the team, because they are working very hard. Even if things are not going as well as we want, I’m sure we’ll find the way to get back to the front. This weekend we have taken a further step forward and I achieved my best qualifying result, even though we did not have a good race. We have to keep going, working very hard every weekend, and in this way we can be a bit further ahead in future races.”

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“The truth is that I’m not entirely satisfied with today’s race. It was a hard-fought race with a fairly large group at the front for this class. I hoped I could be more consistently in the lead positions or stronger, but we gave as much as we could. I have a bit of a bittersweet taste in my mouth because I felt we had possibilities for this race. This will serve as an experience to continue improving and doing better next week at Sachsenring –another completely new circuit for our bike.”

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“This Sunday we had a great race and, in short, it was a great weekend in Moto2 with both Miguel [Oliveira] and Brad [Binder]. We have been able to gather a lot of information and we have taken another step forward. This is very praiseworthy, because it was not an easy task due to the different track conditions that we have been encountering: in the rain we had more difficulties than in the dry. With this fifth place for Miguel, who was always in the lead group, and the thirteenth place for Brad, we have rounded off some great work from both the team and the riders.”