Brad Binder and Jorge Martin took part in the first two free practice sessions of the Catalan Grand Prix on Friday.

After their test carried out at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit last month, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team returned to the Spanish venue ready for action. Brad Binder and Jorge Martin completed the first two free practice sessions of the weekend on Friday, fine tuning their bikes and adapting to the heat of the track.

In FP1, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 pair employed the same strategy with a single stop each at the pit box. Brad Binder was in the top 10 for most of the session, in which he completed 16 laps. The South African rider finally finished ninth with a time of 1:45.101. His teammate, Jorge Martin, put in a total of 19 laps, registering a personal best of 1:45.832, which placed him 21st.

Brad Binder and Jorge Martin squeezed the maximum out of the 40 minutes of FP2, trying to perfect the configuration of their bikes. Brad Binder completed a total of 13 laps and ended up 11th, with a 1:45.245, after promptly fixing a small technical issue in the middle of the practice. For his part, Jorge Martin undertook 15 laps, achieving the 24th fastest time of the session – 1:46.310.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders have one last free practice tomorrow morning in preparation for qualifying. The grid for the Catalan Grand Prix will be decided in Q1 and Q2, at 3.05 pm and 3.30 pm respectively.

Results (Combined practice times FP1 – FP2)
1. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:44.673
2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:44.733 +0.060
3. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 1:44.740 +0.067
4. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 1:44.782 +0.109
5. Enea Bastianini (Kalex) 1:44.850 +0.177
11. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:45.101 +0.428
23. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:45.832 +1.159

41 BRAD BINDER

“In general, today went pretty well. We aren’t where we should be just yet, but we have to be positive and acknowledge the hard effort we’re all putting in. Furthermore, this circuit is quite complex and that doesn’t help either, as we’re losing a lot of time in the last sector. Anyway, we have to stay focused and keep trying for tomorrow. If we can take that step forward that we need, we can do a good job.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“It’s been a very tough day for us and we can’t understand where our problem is. This morning we were doing some tests and we thought we would improve, but I had a hard time turning the bike. In the FP2, we took a step backwards with the configuration of the bike, since we thought it would make things better for me. However, I just didn’t end up feeling comfortable whilst riding. The positive thing from today is the hard work that the whole team is doing. Tomorrow we hope to find the solution that will allow us to be further ahead. I know we can be fast and competitive.”