A win for Miguel Oliveira at the Valencia GP rounds off a fantastic 2018. Brad Binder was unable to finish the race because of a crash.

Red Bull KTM Ajo clinched the Moto2 Team World Championship at the final race of the season, thanks to a third win of the season for Miguel Oliveira. He had previously been victorious in Italy and the Czech Republic. Brad Binder, who also ends the campaign with three wins, had a difficult season finale, crashing when in sixth place.

Starting from the fourth row of the grid and on a wet track, Oliveira was third on the first corner after overtaking a total of seven riders. On the second lap the Portuguese took the lead, and three laps later he relinquished it in order to follow a rival from a close distance. The leader would crash out with 12 laps to go, leaving Oliveira to claim the win on his last race before moving up to MotoGP.

Binder, who started from eleventh position, managed to move up seven places on the first lap. Unfortunately, the South African did not have a good feeling with his tyres in the early stages, and on Lap 3, when battling to get into the Top 5, he crashed and was unable to rejoin the race.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo end another exceptional Moto2 season as Team World Champions, with Miguel Oliveira in second place in the individual overall standings, followed by Brad Binder in third.

Results (Race)
1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 45:07.639
2. Iker Lecuona (KTM) +13.201
3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +22.175
4. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +28.892
5. Remy Gardner (Tech 3) +30.106
DNF. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Riders
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 306 points
2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 297 points
3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 201 points
4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 173 points
5. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 162 points

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2018 – Teams
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo 498 points
2. Sky Racing Team VR46 453 points
3. EG 0,0 MARC VDS 328 points
4. Dynavolt Intact GP 278 points
5. Pons HP40 217 points

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“It was a great day for us, with an excellent victory for Miguel [Oliveira], as we finally achieved the first Team World Championship in Moto2. Of course, its bittersweet because we couldn’t get the rider title, but this is a great way to end the season and next year we will be hungry for more. Miguel rode a very smart race in very difficult conditions. Likewise Brad [Binder] rode well today; He could not finish the race, but this year he has already shown us that he is ready to do something big next year. It has been a good year with Miguel and Brad. Oliveira has proven to be a professional and consistent rider, and we are happy to have opened the door to his new challenge with KTM in MotoGP. Thank you to all the team staff, Red Bull, KTM and all of our partners for this great season.”

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“We end the season with a great result that was what we were looking for this weekend. We took a victory in difficult conditions, because the track was drying out and the tyre temperature was increasing, making it very easy to make a mistake. I tried to control my pace, not brake too hard, not push excessively and take the win.

Today the most important thing was not to be the fastest rider; It was a matter of being consistent and not making mistakes. At the start I calmed down and focused on taking the lead, but then I saw that Marquez was coming through strong and I did not want to fight so early in the race. I stayed behind him until he made the mistake and I was able to control the rest of the race.

It is important to have won the team championship because the guys have been working hard for many races and tests. We have always fought for the top positions. I congratulate everyone for this achievement. We have been able to finish on a high with Red Bull KTM Ajo. I thank them for three amazing years.”

41 BRAD BINDER
“I was happy with how the race began, after a good start and first lap, but then I noticed something was not right with the tyres. We had already had some problems with the front tyre at the beginning of the weekend. I saw that it was impossible to lean the bike to the right and this made it impossible for me to ride comfortably, until I suffered the crash. In the end I know that I did my best, but it was difficult.

Now it’s time to focus on the tests for next season. I want to thank the team for doing a fantastic job; Despite my result today, the year has been very good and now I hope to continue improving for 2019.”