Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider completes first day in Thailand in fifteenth position, after progressing positively throughout the day.

The Moto3 World Championship field undertook their first laps of the Chang International Circuit in Buriram on Friday, starting the action at the new Thai GP. Conditions were hot but optimal for riding, and Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Darryn Binder took an important step forward in FP2 by lowering his morning time by more than 1.5 seconds. He finished fifteenth on the combined timesheets.

It was not easy for Binder to adapt in the first 40 minutes of Free Practice at the Thai track. In order to get the maximum number of kilometres under his belt, the South African made only a single stop in the garage, completing 19 laps of the 4.5 km track that hosts the first of the flyaway rounds. Binder placed thirtieth in FP1 with a 1:45.673 best lap.

A debrief between sessions proved fruitful from the start of FP2, as Binder improved his previous best lap time on the third attempt, and broke into the 1:44s two laps later. It was with 9 minutes remaining that he made the big leap up on the timesheets, moving into the Top 5. That 1:43.945 lap eventually earned him thirteenth place.

The first qualifying session for the Moto3 World Championship in Thailand will take place tomorrow from 12:35h local time -7:35 CET.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Jakub Kornfeil (KTM) 1:43.415
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Honda) 1:43.468 +0.053
3. Gabriel Rodrigo (KTM) 1:43.500 +0.085
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:43.520 +0.105
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Honda) 1:43.566 0.151
15. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.945 +0.530

40 DARRYN BINDER
“This track in Buriram is simple but nice at the same time. It has very long straights, but I’m enjoying myself riding here. I thought that it would be hotter than in Malaysia, but that’s not been the case; it’s bearable. We found things a little hard in FP1, but in the afternoon we took a big step forward both with our times and how it feels on the bike. I’m keen to continue discovering the secrets of this track tomorrow.”