The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider is third on the grid in Sepang, while his teammate, Jorge Martin, will start from sixth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 proved once again to be amongst the strongest teams in qualifying at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with both of their riders on the front two rows for Sunday’s race. Brad Binder set a new All Time Lap Record at the Sepang International Circuit in FP3 and, despite the fact that rain hindered his progress in Q2, he qualified in third place. For his part, Jorge Martin will start the 18th contest of the 2019 World Championship from the sixth spot of the grid.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo pair began the day in top form, riding strongly right from the opening minutes of FP3. Brad Binder then produced a spectacular finale to the session, smashing the track record by more than 0.8s, as the only rider to go under 2:05 at the Malaysian circuit. His 2:04.769 lap saw him end in first position, outpacing the second rider by more than six tenths. Jorge Martin, meanwhile, occupied provisional first place in the first half of the practice and finally finished sixth -2:05.775-, improving on his Friday times.

Brad Binder and Jorge Martin both went straight into Q2, where they once again proved to be amongst the most competitive riders of the day. Rainfall somewhat curtailed the progress of the South African, who nonetheless was third -2:05.559- ensuring that he will start from the front row for the second consecutive Grand Prix. On the other side of the box, Jorge Martin set his personal best of the weekend in the session -2:05.731-, which earned him sixth place on the grid.

The 18-lap Malaysian Grand Prix Moto2 race will start tomorrow at 1:20 pm local time.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 2:05.244
2. Tetsuta Nagashima (Kalex) 2:05.395 +0.151
3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:05.559 +0.315
4. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) 2:05.695 +0.451
5. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 2:05.714 +0.470
6. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:05.731 +0.487

41 BRAD BINDER

“It’s been a very positive day and I’m happy to be on the front row of the grid. It was a pity that I had no chance for a clear lap, because there was quite some traffic on track, but in general it’s a good result. With the tricky weather conditions we had, being up front is great. Tomorrow we’ll try to push from the beginning and see how far we can go.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“I’m happy with how it went today. This morning we found something that helped us to take a step forward and get the bike ready for qualifying. It’s a pity that in Q2 it rained a bit, which meant I had to ride very carefully. Anyway, I think we have the pace to be able to fight for the podium tomorrow.”