I could quote here about eggs, cochones or balls, but let’s concentrate on the most important thing – the courage of Brad Binder. He dared to do something in yesterday’s MotoGP race that many would have considered crazy. And let’s be honest, if it hadn’t worked, it would have been classified as stupid.
But from the beginning. We are at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. For the second time in two weeks. After it was fiery at the first GP in Austria, it started to drip slightly just in time for the second MotoGP start. But since the asphalt was still very warm and the few drops evaporated directly, the race was declared a “Dry Race”. However, everyone was getting noticeably more nervous. Yes, and then it began. The rain increased and the first lap was not even finished when the white flags were waved. From this moment on, the pit lane was open for every MotoGP rider to change bikes. Now the tactics began. When do I come in? How much risk am I willing to take? What are the competitors doing? How much of a lead do I need to build to win in the end?
From lap to lap the conditions on the track got worse. The slick tires swam more and more on the race track. Every hard braking maneuver, every carelessness meant an immediate crash. Now it was a matter of keeping one’s nerves and finishing the race as well as possible without any damage.
When the leading group entered the pits for a bike change with five laps to go, one rider stayed out. Brad Binder. Perhaps it was the courage of desperation that drove Binder. After not being on the podium for a year. Whatever it was, Binder let the riders ahead of him turn and opened the dance on the razor blade. The KTM rider kept going. With slicks on a rain-soaked track. Everyone who saw the race suffered with Binder and KTM from that moment on. Every corner, every acceleration, every braking was nerve-wracking. Will his courage pay off or will he crash? Was his decision a mistake? The last two laps were the worst. The tires had cooled down, as had the brakes. Braking maneuvers were out of the question. It was no longer possible.
For Binder it was now literally a matter of carrying the bike around the track. At every turn there was the threat of a fall. He had to ride out the corners, even if that meant leaving the track. He was going so slow and behind him riders were charging in on rain tires. How long could he hold his lead? The last laps were hard to beat in terms of tension coupled with fear. I don’t want to know how Binder felt under his helmet. In the end, his lead was enough. He crossed the finish line in first place with such a comfortable lead that he didn’t mind the 3-second penalty for leaving the track boundary.
His relief and the relief in the KTM pit was great. The joy for the victory even greater. Brad Binder risked everything. He went a way that was highly risky. He dared and won. It could have turned out differently, then he would now not be the daring hotshot, but the fool who sunk the podium in the gravel. It takes not only courage, but also luck. Yesterday, that luck was with the courageous Brad Binder.
Your Miss MotoGP