Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider enjoys his best first day of a race weekend so far this year in Austin, placing twelfth on the combined timesheets.

Darryn Binder achieved a Top10 finish at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas last year, and this Friday, on the first day of the 2018 round, he showed that he is ready to challenge for another good result. The South African completed both of the two Free Practice sessions in twelfth position, leading the way at several moments.

His first stint of the weekend was positive, as the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider felt good on the track despite dirt on the surface early in the morning. Second fastest in the first quarter hour, Binder led the way at the midway point of the session. His best time of 2:21.134 eventually put him twelfth.

By the afternoon, the MotoGP and Moto2 sessions had cleared the dust that had been present in FP1. Darryn Binder was able to lower his previous best time on his second fast lap, and remained in the Top15 throughout the session, changing to a two-stop strategy. On his final stint, a 2:18.511 time placed him twelfth once more.

The weather forecasts for tomorrow are not favourable. Despite this, the South African will look for a strong grid position during qualifying at 12:35pm local time (7:35pm CEST). Last year he was eleventh on the grid.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Jorge Martin (Honda) 2:17:423
2. Aron Canet (Honda) 2:17.706 +0.283
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Honda) 2:17.710 +0.287
4. Marco Bezzecchi (KTM) 2:17.867 +0.444
5. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 2:17.890 +0.467
12. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:18.511 +1.088

40 DARRYN BINDER
“I’m quite happy with how this first day went. Honestly, I think we can say that it was the best Friday of the season so far, with us placing twelfth in each of the sessions. Our feeling is getting better with every lap, and that is the most important thing. I think that if we can’t ride in dry conditions again until Sunday, our pace is good enough for the race. I really want to do well in QP tomorrow, although it is forecast to be wet.”