Darryn Binder undertakes first laps of scorching MotorLand Aragon
21/09/2018The Aragon GP kicked off this Friday, with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider in twenty-sixth place.
The start of the third Spanish round of the year did not go as well as Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider Darryn Binder had hoped, having come into the event full of confidence after taking his second Top 10 finish of the year at Misano. Although he significantly lowered his best time in the afternoon, it was not enough to raise him higher than twenty-sixth place. The South African hopes to improve his feeling in FP3 tomorrow.
FP1 was used to adapt to a circuit where Darryn Binder had not been ridden since last year. For this reason, with the aim of putting in as many laps as possible, the South African made just a single pit stop in the session. His fastest time of 2:01.739 came on his final attempt, giving him 22nd.
In the afternoon, with track temperatures up to 44ºC, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider went out looking to work with used tyres. He needed just one lap to improve on his previous time. It was not until his second stop that Binder would change to new tyres, subsequently setting his best lap of the day, a 2:00.670. He was one second faster than in the morning, with a lap that put him 25th.
Tomorrow the South African has two objectives: The first is to improve his feelings in FP3; the second, to get a position on the starting grid that does not oblige him to make a big comeback on Sunday. Qualifying starts at 12:35pm local time.
Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 1:58.418
2. Gabriel Rodrigo (KTM) 1:58.653 +0.235
3. Nicolo Bulega (KTM) 1:58.798 +0.380
4. Jorge Martin (Honda) 1:58.804 +0.386
5. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:58.937 +0.519
26. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:00.670 +2.252
40 DARRYN BINDER
“After the race at Misano, I had the expectation of placing higher on the timesheets today. Neither in FP1 nor FP2 did I feel completely comfortable with the bike; I had some problems turning in after braking. I think we are missing something, some small details, so we have to find that extra boost that will improve things. The difference compared to the frontrunners is quite considerable, but this is a very long circuit so if you lose a bit of time on each sector, the final gap is going to be greater. We have to concentrate on tomorrow; we must work in FP3 and find those small solutions that allow us to improve, because it is important to achieve a good position on the grid.”