Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider completes first day at Twin Ring Motegi in 26th place.

The start of the sixteenth round of the Moto3 season was not as easy as Darryn Binder would have liked, as he experienced a small technical problem and wet conditions at various stages of Friday’s action at Twin Ring Motegi. The South African was 26th in FP1 for the Japanese GP, and 9th in FP2.

The weather held out in the first session of the weekend, but a technical issue meant he was forced into the pits in the early stages. Once the team had worked their magic to resolve it, he was able to go back out on track to complete a total of 10 laps, with a best time of 1:59.956 for 26th.

In the afternoon, Binder had to run wet tyres as a result of midday rain. It meant that the Moto3 riders rode in wet conditions for the first time since FP2 of the San Marino GP. He felt comfortable in the conditions, spending much of the session inside the Top 10 and improving his best lap on his final attempt for ninth -2:06.315.

Qualifying takes place tomorrow from 12:35pm local time, in which Binder will look to build on his career best grid position of sixth from Thailand. In the last three editions of the Japanese GP, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team have achieved a place on the front row.

Results (Combined practice times FP1-FP2)
1. Jakub Kornfeil (KTM) 1:57.740
2. Aron Canet (Honda) 1:57.848 +0.108
3. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 1:58.076 +0.336
4. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 1:58.190 +0.450
5. John McPhee (KTM) 1:58.202 +0.462
26. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:59.956 +2.216

40 DARRYN BINDER
“Unfortunately at the start of FP1 we suffered a small technical problem that caused us to miss practically half of the session. Fortunately the team were able to solve it and I completed a few laps, but it wasn’t easy. On the other hand, this afternoon, I felt comfortable and was happy with how things went, even though the track conditions were strange. I think we can do a good job tomorrow, whether it’s dry or wet.”