12th today, the Red Bull KTM rider makes improvements at the start of the last preseason test in Jerez.

The first of three days of testing –rounding off 2018 preseason–, saw intermittent rain significantly hinder the work planned by Darryn Binder and his Red Bull KTM Ajo for Tuesday at Jerez. Although he completed just 16 laps, the South African was able to get a good feeling onboard his KTM machine amidst tricky track conditions. He placed 12th on the timesheets for the day.

The Moto3 riders were the most affected by the light rain that fell at 11am. With the track in mixed conditions, Binder only went out for the last five minutes of the first session and completed 4 laps on slicks. In the second hour he put in a further 12 laps, drawing positive conclusions from his first stint and setting a best time of 1:48.242. Later on, the rain and a small crash slowed down his progress. Mixed asphalt conditions meant the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider did not go out for the last scheduled hour.

It is expected that tomorrow –the penultimate day of preseason– the weather conditions will improve. The season itself begins next week in Qatar.

Combined Standings Day 1
1. Aron Canet (Honda) 1:46.642
2. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 1:47.005 +0.363
3. Marco Bezzecchi (KTM) 1:47.188 +0.546
4. Alonso Lopez (Honda) 1:47.404 +0.762
5. Jorge Martin (Honda) 1:47.467 +0.825
12. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.242 +1.600

40 DARRYN BINDER
“Unfortunately we have not been able to put in many laps. During the first session we went out to do three laps to see what feeling we had. Then in the middle session I felt good from the beginning and we wanted to focus on the feeling with the front end; just when we had found the right setup, it started to rain. However, I’m feeling better all the time and we are eager to ride more. Hopefully the weather tomorrow is better and we can ride all day. I want to feel more comfortable on the bike and go faster. If the conditions are wet, we will also go out to test the wet setup.”