Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider takes eleventh position in completely dry qualifying session at Sepang.

The Moto3 riders had their first fully dry practice session at the Malaysian GP this Saturday, but had to wait until qualifying for the opportunity. Darryn Binder took advantage of the conditions to take a step forward at the Sepang International Circuit, setting his best time of the weekend. The lap earned him eleventh place and will allow him to start from the fourth row of the grid for the penultimate race of the year.

The Moto3 riders encountered mixed conditions in FP3, similar to in yesterday’s FP1 session. That meant that both Binder and the rest of the field went out with wet tyres, with the South African putting in a 6-lap first stint. The South African then waited for conditions to improve and did not get back onboard his KTM until the end of the session, when he added 3 more laps and set his best time -2:27.280- for seventeenth.

The first Moto3 session in dry conditions and without wet patches on the track was qualifying. Darryn Binder made a discreet first run, occupying 22nd position. Unlike on other occasions, today his best time was clocked on his second stint, with a 2:12.748 that placed him second with 13 minutes remaining. Unable to lower his times on the only lap of his third stint, he was relegated to eleventh position.

Darryn Binder will start from the fourth row for the final race of the flyaway rounds. The 17-lap contest gets underway from 12pm local time.

Results (Qualifying Session)
1. Jorge Martin (Honda) 2:11.731
2. Marco Bezzecchi (KTM) 2:11.763 +0.032
3. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 2:12.065 +0.334
4. John McPhee (KTM) 2:12.081 +0.350
5. Albert Arenas (KTM) 2:12.211 +0.480
11. Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:12.748 +1.017

40 DARRYN BINDER
“We went into qualifying having only run 6 dry laps the whole weekend. This morning we rode in the wet during FP3; at the end it started to dry out, but not enough to try new things with slicks so we went into QP a bit blind. I gave 100% and on the second stint I set my best time. I tried to improve the last time I went out on track, but I encountered some traffic and it was not possible. I feel good with the setup of the bike so I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow.”