Can you briefly describe your path to Moto GP?
Brad Binder: My path to Moto GP all started when I was racing back at home in South Africa and I had a dream to one day be a Moto GP rider. I managed to make my way into Red Bull Rockies Cup in 2009 – I was there until 2011. In the end of 2011, I got my first “Wild Card” in the world championship. The big turning point for me came in 2015 when I got signed to Red Bull KTM Ajo where I learned a lot and in 2016 became world champion. After that followed through to the Moto 2 class for three seasons, and since 2020 I have been in the Red Bull KTM factory racing team in MotoGP.
On what bike did you get your first two-wheel experience on?
Brad Binder: My first bike was a little 50ccm – I call them “little PeeWee 50”. I had one and probably put a million miles on it.
You raced in the Red Bull Rockies Cup for three years. What did you learn as a young rider during this time?
Brad Binder: One of my biggest lessons in the Red Bull Rockies Cup was that the competition abroad was really hard. It took me time to build myself up and get to the point where I managed to fight upfront and win races.
After your Moto3-title you moved up to the Moto2 class. How quickly did you find your way around the motorcycle?
Brad Binder: It was extremely difficult at the beginning. In the first test I crashed and broke my arm. I had a few complications with it. It only started to come right again halfway through my first season in Moto2. I ended up finishing on the podium the last three races which I think was a strong ending to it. My goal was to win the Moto2 world championship – unfortunately I fell just shy of that, but I am happy to be in Moto GP.
There are five KTM Moto2 bikes in the Red Bull Ring fleet that can be ridden as part of our Riding Experiences. What is the difference between a Moto2 and MotoGP bike?
Brad Binder: The biggest difference is clearly that a MotoGP bike has obviously a lot more power and a lot more electronics. The biggest adjustment was adjusting to the speed and the breaking firstly, and then secondly learning how to deal with the electronics and how to ride the bike properly to really use the potential.
KTM has already won its home race at Spielberg twice – your victory in 2021 being one of them. What will it take for KTM to get its third home-win at the Red Bull Ring this year?
Brad Binder: The Red Bull Ring has always been a track where our bikes worked extremely well, and it was an amazing feeling to win the home race for Red Bull and KTM. Of course, it would be a fantastic day for me if I could manage to get that right again – and I truly believe we can.
