Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider participates in the first day of the Czech GP, finishing in 27th place overall.

High temperatures this Friday at the Automotodrom Brno proved to be one of the major handicaps for the Moto3 riders on the first day of the Czech GP. After breaking his right collarbone in training, Darryn Binder was back onboard his KTM for the first time since the race in Assen on July 1st. Although the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider improved his times during the two Free Practice sessions, he had to settle for 27th on the combined timesheets.

Free Practice 1 was used by Darryn Binder to get back to riding after almost five weeks out of action. His focus on Friday was regaining his feel for the bike and trying a new chassis that KTM have brought to Brno; the team planned a stint with just one stop, allowing him to put in 15 laps. Binder placed 26th with a 2:11.528 time.

With used tyres and putting in many laps once again, the South African was one of the first riders to improve on his morning time. He did so on his fifth attempt and, after a very short second stint, he went out for a third run with new tyres to set his best lap of 2:10.757 (24th).

Tomorrow’s qualifying session will take place at 12:35pm local time, with Binder’s clear objective being to take a grid spot that allows him to push the lead group from the start.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Philipp Oettl (KTM) 2:09:194
2. Kazuki Masaki (KTM) 2:09.288 +0.094
3. Aron Canet (Honda) 2:09.331 +0.137
4. Nicolo Bulega (KTM) 2:09.344 +0.150
5. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 2:09.383 +0.189
27. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:10.757 +1.563

40 DARRYN BINDER
“This morning I felt a little strange. When I went out on track I felt good physically, but I lacked a lot of pace; it was difficult to ride fast, but this usually happens when I haven’t ridden for a while, as you need some time to adapt again. In the afternoon, at first I felt very good; we were working well, improving the setup of the bike. In the end I set a quick lap with new tyres, although it was close to the one I set with heavily worn tyres. Today we tried a new chassis, but we still need more laps to find the best setup. The idea is for it to help us to ride better. We have room for improvement, so it can only get better.”