Red Bull KTM Ajo rider concludes good weekend in the Czech Republic with third place, in a race in which Oliveira places eighth and Hanika 26th.

Binder, Moto3 race, Czech MotoGP 2015

Brad Binder was on the podium for the second time this season at the Czech GP. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was part of a leading group of up to 11 riders throughout the race, and had a great last lap to take third place. In the same group were Miguel Oliveira, who eventually finished eighth, and Karel Hanika, who was involved in an incident with another rider on Lap 2 and finished 26th.

The Automotodrom Brno hosted an unusual race today, running for just 12 laps. An incident on the first lap forced Race Direction to stop the race to evacuate a rider, repair airwalls on the straight and restart the contest with fewer laps than originally planned. The three Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were inside the first eleven competitors on the restart, in a group that fought for victory until the last lap.

However, Karel Hanika’s race was turned on its head on the second lap: Contact with another rider left the home rider out of the running for the rostrum. He climbed back onboard his KTM and finally crossed the line in 26th position. At the front, Oliveira and Binder were fighting for the win, with countless overtaking moves on every lap. The South African took advantage of the last lap melee to move from sixth to third position. Less fortunate was the Portuguese, who even set the fastest lap of the race -but was off the rostrum and placed eighth goal. He was only 1 second behind the winner.

After eleven races, Miguel Oliveira is fourth in the World Championship with 111 points, Binder is sixth with 99, and Hanika sixteenth with 33 points. The next meeting will be held in two weeks’ time at Silverstone.

Race – Results
1. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 25:56.866
2. Enea Bastianini (Honda) +0.152
3. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.376
4. Efren Vazquez (Honda) +0.540
5. Jorge Navarro (Honda) +0.560
8. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1.188
26. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +37.086

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2015
1. Danny Kent (Honda) 199 points
2. Enea Bastianini (Honda) 154 points
3. Romano Fenati (KTM) 122 points
4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 111 points
5. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 109 points
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 99 points
16. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 33 points

Miguel Oliveira,
“In the race we had a bit of everything: Good moments and others not so much. The first start was very good and I was in fourth place before we had to return to the pits. The second start was not the same, but afterwards I found it quite easily to recover positions and I was up at the front after a few laps. Following a strategy was difficult, since all the riders were overtaking one another on every lap and defending against attacks was a bit tricky. On the last chicane I could not defend as I wanted and they passed me. That’s Moto3, especially on a track where it is important to slipstream. Now we have to prepare for Silverstone, a circuit I like, with the same enthusiasm and try to do my best.”

Brad Binder,
“It’s my second podium of the season and I’m very happy about that. In the race I fought as hard as I could, right to the end, and I worked to achieve the best possible result. On the last lap I gave 110% and overtook many riders, so I’m very happy to be back on the podium. Before the red flag I had a tyre problem so we were lucky with that; in the second race we put another one on that worked wonders, gave me a lot of confidence and meant I was able to ride very strongly throughout the race.

This race has been very positive for me, because at Jerez I did not really earn the podium -another rider cleared the way for me on the last corner- so I believe that this is my first ‘real’ podium of the season.”

Karel Hanika,
“I made a good first start, easily putting myself into the leading positions, but on the second start -although I got away well- I was blocked and I lost many positions on the first lap. I started to come back, but afterwards -on the second corner of the second lap- another rider slowed more than normal and we could not prevent a collision that I hadn’t expected. I am sad about the result, but we have to take the positives away from this weekend. I want to thank the fans for their support throughout the whole weekend, even when I was riding by myself at the end. We will go to Silverstone eager to continue in the front group.”

Aki Ajo,
“We have to be positive. Today was a tough race, with many riders at the front, and of course luck plays a role on the final laps. For Brad [Binder] it has been a very positive weekend. Since his first stint in the first practice he has ridden very well and fought in the race until the end. He even had a chance to win, but there are always a lot of fights just before the end.

It was a shame about Miguel [Oliveira], as he was very strong throughout the race and also had the chance to fight for victory. But some other riders attacked very strongly in the last two laps and he was unlucky. In any case, it has also been a positive weekend for him.

Karel [Hanika] has also been very strong all weekend, but unfortunately he lost positions on the opening lap, then had an incident on lap two in which he crashed with other riders.”