Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider completes an excellent weekend with a second win of the season. Miguel Oliveira fights back from eighteenth to finish seventh.

Brad Binder claimed the win at MotorLand Aragon in an exciting Moto2 Aragon GP, besting several rivals and crossing the line first for the second time this season. The South African, who previously earned the Moto3 title at the Spanish track, held his nerve to take victory from pole position. Teammate Miguel Oliveira made a great fightback from 18th on the grid to take the chequered flag in seventh place, as Red Bull KTM Ajo extended their advantage in the Moto2 Team World Championship standings.

On Saturday, Binder had taken an excellent last-gasp pole, and he defended the lead perfectly on the opening lap. From this moment on, the South African tussled for victory with Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia. The South African remained in the shadows until 6 laps remained, when he decided to take the lead and never looked back.

Miguel Oliveira also made a great start, gaining three places in the first sector. The Portuguese entered the Top 10 on Lap 4, and would gain another three places in the last 11 laps to come home in seventh.

With 125 points still in play, Miguel Oliveira is second in the overall standings and just 19 points off the series leader. Brad Binder is in third place with 144 points. In the team standings, Red Bull KTM Ajo increase their advantage to 41 points.
Binder and Oliveira will stay on in Aragon for two more days, in which they will test ahead of the flyaway rounds.

Results (Race)
1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 39:59.247
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +1.526
3. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) +2.055
4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +2.396
5. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) +5.850
7. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +6.741

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Riders
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 234 points
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 215 points
3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 144 points
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 132 points
5. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 126 points

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Teams
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) 359 points
2. Sky Racing Team VR46 (Kalex) 318 points
3. EG 0’0 Marc VDS (Kalex) 250 points
4. Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) 214 points
5. Pons HP40 (Kalex) 156 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“I’m very happy with the performance by Brad [Binder] this weekend, and also with the test we did last week. I am very happy about both the pole position and the victory, but above all I am happy with the progression that Brad has made; he has been very consistent both here and at the last test. This is very important and we must keep going in the same way. Congratulations to Brad for his triumph and for the great race he rode today.
For Miguel [Oliveira] it was a difficult weekend, especially in qualifying. It is very difficult to start from 18th position. In the end his lap times in the race were good and very similar to that of the top riders, but he lost a bit of time fighting with and overtaking other riders. We must analyse the data well to avoid repeating this situation in qualifying, because when you are starting from behind it is not enough to have a good pace. We will continue working to improve. We are looking forward to the flyaways: The circuits are ones that we like a lot and where in the past we have achieved great results.”

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA

“I gave everything I had, but it was a tricky race because of having to start from the sixth row. I was able to ride fast and my pace was very similar to that of my teammate, Brad Binder, but when I tried to overtake the other riders I lost a few tenths. I feel bad because in qualifying my best lap was cancelled, making me lose time today at the beginning, but this is the price you pay when you are so far back. This is something that we are going to work on and improve.
I have my sights set on the flyaway rounds and on gaining the maximum amount of points: There are 125 still in play and we will try to take as many of those as we can. The work will start tomorrow, right here in Aragon, with a day of testing. We will give our all to try to improve and find anything that gives us more security on the bike, which we can apply in the coming races.”

41 BRAD BINDER

“It’s been an incredible weekend. Yesterday we got an unexpected pole and I was very happy to have qualified at the head of the grid. That gave me a lot of confidence for the race. Sunday did not start very well, because in the warmup I did not feel completely comfortable and had a few problems. However, thanks to a series of small changes that my team made for the race, everything worked normally -or even better.
I am very grateful for the victory, which is my second in the Moto2 class, and I’m very happy to have got it here at MotorLand Aragon, which is a very special track for me. It’s been a great day and I have taken some very important points for the Championship; If I continue in this way I think I can have a great final run in the season. I have to thank the team for the excellent job they are doing.”