Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider takes 15th on an unfortunate day for Brad Binder, forced to retire with a technical problem.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team were back among the points at COTA today, with Jorge Martin finishing fifteenth in the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. His teammate, Brad Binder, was out of luck, as the South African was forced to retire on lap 3 with a technical problem.

Jorge Martin, who started eighth on the grid, had an action packed beginning to the race, saving a tank-slapper before being hit from behind by another rider. Despite losing four positions in the opening lap, the Spaniard recovered to join in the battle for the points-scoring positions. The reigning Moto3 World Champion eventually crossed the line in fifteenth, earning one point.

Brad Binder, meanwhile, did not get the opportunity to maximise his potential, after a clutch problem forced him back to last place. The South African had no option but to return to the garage and pull out of the remainder of the race.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team now turns its attention to the next round of the Moto2 World Championship – the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix on 3rd-5th May at Jerez.

Results Moto2 Race
1. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 39:11.508
2. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +2.532
3. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) +3.836
4. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +4.757
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +7.741
15. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +27.482
DNF. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 50 points
2. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 47 points
3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 45 points
4. Remy Gardner (Kalex) 38 points
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 36 points
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 14 points
24. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“This has been one of our most difficult weekends. Things went a little better in qualifying yesterday but our riders haven’t been able to find a good feeling here. The race obviously didn’t go how we expected, so now we have to analyse what happened with Brad’s clutch on the start, so that it doesn’t happen again. Jorge Martin picked up another point, but we know his pace can be faster than this.”

41 BRAD BINDER

“What we can take away from this weekend is that I felt good on the bike and was comfortable with it. Things were looking pretty good before the race but unfortunately I had a problem with the clutch and I had to retire. It wasn’t a nice situation because the whole team were hoping for more out of this Grand Prix, after the great job they have done. But in the end we have to take the positives out of every situation; we have improved in some areas and we will give it our best shot again in the next race.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“It wasn’t the best race for us. In general, it has been a difficult weekend, we didn’t find the right way forward. It looked like we had made some steps yesterday, but we still have a lot of work to do. I know we can be closer to the front so we will work hard to be stronger in Europe. Right now, I feel physically fit and I am sure that in the European rounds we can be fighting closer to the front.”