The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider was fourth at the French Grand Prix, while Jorge Martin finished 20th, after being penalised for a jump start.

There were mixed fortunes for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team at the French Grand Prix, which was held at the legendary Le Mans Circuit today. Brad Binder achieved his best result of the season with a well-earned fourth place. Jorge Martin was given a ride through penalty after a jump start and finished 20th.

The South African rider made a great start, moving up three positions to fifth and joining the front group. As the race went by, Brad Binder lost contact with the leaders and held his ground, riding alone. Over two perfect last laps, he hunted down the rider in fourth place and crossed the finish line in that position.

Jorge Martin, who started from 13th on the grid, managed to make up several places in the early part of the race and, on the fourth lap, he was in 11th. Unfortunately, the Spaniard was then penalized with a ride through for a jump start. After completing the penalty, Martin returned to the race and finished in 20th place.

Courtesy of today’s result, Brad Binder is now eighth in the Moto2 standings, while Jorge Martin sits in 26th. The next round of the World Championship, the sixth Grand Prix of the season, will take place in Italy, at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, from 31st May to 2nd June.

Results (Moto2 Race)
1. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 40:36.428
2. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) +1.119
3. Augusto Fernández (Kalex) +1.800
4. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +6.015
5. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) +7.057
20. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1:03.717

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2019 – Riders
1. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 75 points
2. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 68 points
3. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 64 points
4. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 61 points
5. Marcel Schrotter (Kalex) 56 points
8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 38 points
26. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2 points

Aki Ajo – Team manager
“It was a tough weekend in Moto2, especially because of the weather conditions. Yesterday we were hardly able to try anything because of the low temperatures and the fine rain. In the race itself it was a shame about the penalty for Jorge [Martin] for the little jump start. It was a harsh sanction for a small movement, but we have to accept the penalty even though he didn’t gain any advantage from the start. For Brad [Binder] it was a difficult race. He was fighting with the front riders for the podium but today it just wasn’t possible. We will continue testing next week in Barcelona and we will try to improve for the next race in Mugello.”

41 BRAD BINDER

“It was a tough race for me. Every time I opened gas on corner exit I had a little scare. So I tried to stay calm and get the best possible result at the end of the race. I know we’ve worked really hard this Grand Prix. Next week, we have a test in Barcelona and I hope we can solve the issues we have with the rear end of the bike. I have to thank the team and KTM because everyone is working hard and that is very positive. We have to continue this way and I’m sure that even better results will come soon.”

88 JORGE MARTIN

“We had some bad luck here. At the start, I held the clutch, then the bike moved, so I tried to stop it with my feet but I couldn’t. I knew they were going to penalize me, so I did the ride through as soon as possible. I tried to keep the pace as high as I could until the end, but it was difficult. We have to continue working on the set-up of the bike. Anyway, I had a good race and, if the jump start hadn’t happened, I could have been fighting for the top 10. Now we have an important test in Barcelona, where we will try to push and find the feeling that we need in order to improve our pace and be able to finish higher.”