Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider takes second position after starting from the third row. Brad Binder finishes eighth at Sepang.

The flyaway rounds for the Moto2 World Championship ended with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team taking a third podium from as many races, as Miguel Oliveira took second place in Malaysia. The Portuguese made a great fightback, battling for the win until the final laps. However, this result unfortunately was not enough to keep the title fight open until the last race of the season. Brad Binder finished the Malaysian GP in eighth position and helped Red Bull KTM Ajo remain leaders of the team standings.

Starting from seventh place on the starting grid, Oliveira made one of the great starts that have become his trademark this year, moving up into second place on the first sector. Despite giving up a position on the second lap, the Portuguese recovered second place on the seventh lap. He would try for the win until the chequered flag, but eventually came home runner-up as he missed out on the win by just a second.

Binder did not have an easy start to the race, dropping to twelfth place on the third lap. The South African never threw in the towel, however, and moved back up the order to finally place eighth –a position he defended for the last 6 laps.

Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder are now assured of second and third place in the standings, with 272 and 201 points, respectively. Their last goal for the season finale in Valencia is to seal the team title, and Red Bull KTM Ajo lead the way in the standings with a 22 point advantage.

Results (Race)
1. Luca Marini (Kalex) 38:25.689
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1.194
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +3.020
4. Mattia Pasini(Kalex) +4.497
5. Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) +5.250
8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +8.943

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Riders
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 304 points
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 272 points
3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 201 points
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 162 points
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 157 points

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Teams
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo 473 points
2. Sky Racing Team VR46 451 points
3. EG 0,0 MARC VDS 312 points
4. Dynavolt Intact GP 269 points
5. Pons HP40 209 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“Miguel [Oliveira] had a great race. He has been fighting hard all weekend and was very focused and confident, so we expected a strong race. He fought until the end to win, because it could be the last chance to keep the title race open for Valencia. Unfortunately, despite his great performance, it wasn’t possible. Even so, we can’t be disappointed with the season we have had, because in the end our riders are second and third in the World Championship -but it is obvious that we all prefer to win. Congratulations to Bagnaia and his team.

For Brad [Binder] it was a difficult race because first he was caught in traffic and then it was impossible to climb positions, because he had grip problems. We need to analyse what happened.

We are very motivated for Valencia. We want to get a good result there and fight for the Team World Championship.”

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“This was a Grand Prix in which we went very well. From the beginning I felt good, but Pecco [Bagnaia] was also strong; I was able to pass him and I went after Marini. Finally I couldn’t get close enough to overtake him. It was a very hard fought race.

I’m very proud of the efforts I have made this year, of my riding, my season and our perseverance, although unfortunately it just wasn’t enough to beat Bagnaia. Pecco has been very strong and we have both been very consistent. We have battled with everything we had, my team have done a great job and I have also given 110%. Overall, it has been a season full of emotions that we want to finish with a victory in Valencia.”

41 BRAD BINDER
“This was a very hard day for me. On the first lap there was no rear grip and that made me lose some positions. I couldn’t do anything when I opened the throttle, besides try to get the rear wheel back in line. I pushed as much as I could and changed the way I turned in the rear, because if I tried to accelerate at an angle the tyre started spinning and it wouldn’t stop until I put the bike back straight on. I had to ride the bike in a very strange way. I’m disappointed because this is a track that has always been good for me, and I have achieved good results here in the past. The only positive thing from today is that we have consolidated third place in the World Championship.”