The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider recorded a second consecutive win after Phillip Island, whilst Jorge Martin crashed out at Sepang.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team wrapped up their work at the final round of an intense flyaway triple header with a win at the Malaysian Grand Prix courtesy of Brad Binder, who achieved his second consecutive victory. The South African confirmed his status as the strongest rider in Moto2 in the second half of the year by racking up his fourth win in the last eight races. Jorge Martin was unable to finish the race on this occasion, after a crash in the early running as he battled to reach the front group.

Binder had already demonstrated that he was one of the fastest riders this weekend in free practice and, in today’s contest, he took the lead at the very first corner. The South African set an extremely strong pace, riding quicker than the previous race lap record at Sepang. In spite of dropping to third place on lap six, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider would not lose his focus and he soon regained the lead, a position he would defend to the finish line, to secure the 14th Grand Prix victory of his career. The result sees Binder move into second place in the general standings, with 234 points.

Martin, meanwhile, had a tough day. Despite having been highly competitive throughout the weekend, the Spaniard could not finish the race. Starting from the second row of the grid, Jorge suffered a crash without any serious consequences on the third lap, when he was in eighth position, fighting to chase down the front group. Martin is now 12th in the Championship, with 83 points, and still in with a shot of winning the Rookie of the Year award.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team will conclude the 2019 season at the Valencia GP, which will be held at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit from 15th – 17th November.

Results (Moto2 Race)
1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 38:07.843
2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +0.758
3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) +2.683
4. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) +6.646
5. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) +7.114
-. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) DNF

Moto2 World Championship Standings 2019
1. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 262 points
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 234 points
3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 230 points
4. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 210 points
5. Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) 197 points
12. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 83 points

Aki Ajo – Team manager

“It was a great race for Brad [Binder], in which he achieved another victory. His performance in the second half of the season has been incredible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to fight for the championship, but we have to be happy that after such a tough year we are here and have kept our title chances alive until today. For his part, Jorge [Martin] was having a great weekend, but he had a bad feeling with the front on Sunday. We have to acknowledge his progress in recent contests. Also, I want to congratulate Alex Marquez on the Championship. He has taken a step forward in his consistency this year and his work has been remarkable.”

41 BRAD BINDER

“The goal today was to win the contest. We gave it everything we had. I was close to crashing and I had to run off track. Luckily, I pushed hard and regained the lead quickly. I tried to put the maximum pressure on Alex [Marquez] but today he put in an incredible race and I have to congratulate him on the Championship. We did everything we could at the Malaysian Grand Prix, which was to earn the first position, and we have to be happy for that.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“It was not a positive day for us. I was very motivated at the start, but on the first few laps my feeling with the front was not helping and I was close to crashing on every corner. It’s a shame after a weekend in which I’ve always been in the Top 6. I hope we can keep up the pace that we had at these last few races in Valencia, as I think we are showing that I’m among the fastest riders now. We will try to get a strong result to finish the season.”