Miguel Oliveira heads into the Catalan GP motivated after taking his first victory of the year, while Brad Binder will seek to take a step forward and also fight for the top positions.

The Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit hosts the seventh round of the Moto2 World Championship this weekend, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo team come into the event in the best possible way after taking their first victory of the season at the Italian GP. Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder will seek to fight for the podium at a modified track where they have already tested at the end of last month.

Oliveira’s win at Mugello last time out helped him to close the gap to the series leader to just 13 points. This weekend’s venue also holds good memories for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider; it was there that he earned his first Moto3 podium in 2012 with a third place, the same result he achieved there last season in Moto2.

Binder also has a podium at the circuit, from 2016 –his last year in Moto3– when he finished in second position. The South African, who had a good feeling after the day of post-race testing in Italy, will seek to make the Grand Prix a turning point for the season and fight for the podium after four consecutive races in the Top 10.

This season the circuit has undergone a complete resurfacing and a new Turn 13 has been created, which replaces the previous chicane. The seventh Moto2 race of 2018, which will be run over 22 laps, will start on Sunday, June 17th at 12:20pm local time.

Circuit information – Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit
Length: 4.627 m / 2,875 miles
Width: 12 metresLeft corners: 6
Right corners: 8
Longest straight: 1.047 m / 0,650 miles
Constructed: 1991
Modified: 2018  

  44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“At Mugello we got a victory for which we had been fighting since the beginning of the season, so it would be very nice to take a second win in Barcelona. An important thing for us would be to take a step forward in the qualifying session, so as not to have to risk so much on Sunday. With the base that we have from the days of testing in Barcelona and Mugello, we are prepared to achieve that. We have already tested with the layout changes, so in theory we will not find anything new here. The asphalt has very good grip and almost no bumps, so it will certainly be a very interesting weekend.”

 

 41 BRAD BINDER
“I sincerely hope to be able to get into the fight for the podium this weekend; I’ve finished in sixth position too many times this year! The test we did here at the end of last month was really good; I felt very strong and we were even able to do some long stints in which I felt comfortable riding at a very steady pace. The test at Mugello was also good, as we found solutions to get more stability and confidence with the front end. With that in mind, we have a good base for this seventh race of the season, so I hope it brings results. I like the new Turn 13 much more than the chicane and the new asphalt is much better, so I can’t wait to start the weekend!”