Brad Binder reaches halfway point of Moto3 season with a 47-point lead, after a positive eighth place finish at Sachsenring. Bo Bendsneyder concludes the race twelfth.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team took positive results away from a tricky German Grand Prix. In difficult conditions, Brad Binder and Bo Bendsneyder kept cool heads and accomplished their goals on Sunday. Heavy rain from the morning onwards made track conditions treacherous, and Binder did well to add 8 further points to his overall tally with eighth place. Bendsneyder managed to lead the race in the early laps and crossed the finish line in twelfth place, claiming four points for his haul for the year.

The race began with a lot of water on the track, and the pack quickly spread out as a result. Binder kept among the Top 10, with a steely focus on the title picture, and stuck in eighth position until the chequered flag. Bendsneyder had won at the Sachsenring in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, and used his track knowledge for his best qualifying performance of the season on Saturday. Come Sunday, the Dutchman was able to lead a Moto3 race for the first time –for almost two laps. He gradually dropped down the order as he adopted a more conservative approach, finishing in twelfth place.

Binder goes into the three-week summer break with a 47-point advantage over his closest rival in the Moto3 World Championship (159 points). Bendsneyder is twenty-second with 18 points. The next stop for the series will be between August 12th-14th at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Austria.

Results – Race
1. Khairul Idham Pawi (Honda) 47:07.763
2. Andrea Locatelli (KTM) +11.131
3. Enea Bastianini (Honda) +13.359
4. Jakub Kornfeil (Honda) +18.541
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Honda) +20.620
8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +23.333
12. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +45.005

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2016
1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 159 points
2. Jorge Navarro (Honda), 112 points
3. Romano Fenati (KTM) 93 points
4. Francesco Bagnaia (Mahindra) 85 points
5. Nicolo Bulega (KTM) 75 points
22. Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 18 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“This eighth position for Brad [Binder] today is like a podium -or even a victory. Today the conditions were very tough and both Brad and Bo did what they had to do. That’s what I’m happiest about. Brad managed to put aside his nerves and control the situation, keeping calm and sticking to the plan even when direct rivals passed him.

I feel a lot of respect for Bo [Bendsneyder], as I do with Brad, because was able to keep his head very well. Even though he was up into the lead at the start, he maintained control and held on. We shouldn’t forget that he is a rookie, and today he rode like a far more experienced rider. I am very happy with his attitude.

I am Finnish and I am perhaps too shy to express directly to a person how much I respect them, but we have a great team here and I am very grateful for all the work they do.”

41 BRAD BINDER

“Today has been neither very good nor very bad. I felt great in the warmup; everything was working incredibly. In the race itself things were more difficult. Aki [Ajo] told me before the start that I should focus on doing what I know, and not to worry about anyone else. I found it hard to get a good feeling with the rear, and I felt as if it would go at any moment. The positive thing is that I never went over the limit and we were able to finish the race. Obviously I’m not entirely happy with eighth place, but I have only lost one point and that is a lesser evil.”

64 BO BENDSNEYDER

“The beginning of the race was special, because I took the opportunity to lead -as I knew that it would be more difficult later on. After a few laps I saw that I could not push things so much and I rode more calmly. I was down into twelfth or thirteenth, and I decided to keep running my own pace. At the end, on the last lap, I set my best time and I’m very happy with how the race went.”