Binder Battles Back from 18th to Eighth at Silverstone

Brad Binder produced a determined fightback at the British Grand Prix, recovering from a difficult qualifying session to claim a strong eighth-place finish in Sunday’s main race at Silverstone.

Unfortunately for the South African, qualifying was far from straightforward. Binder headed out on his number one bike, only for it to cut out on the back straight, forcing him to make his way back into pit lane and switch to his second machine.

Things didn’t get much better from there. Once back on track, Binder immediately felt that something wasn’t quite right with the bike, particularly at the front end. It soon became apparent that his concerns were justified, with the headstock and front end of the motorcycle reportedly slightly out of alignment.

That left Binder unable to put together the qualifying performance he would have wanted, eventually ending Q1 eighth with a 1:58.081 and meaning he would start both the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix from 18th on the grid.

But, as we have come to expect from Binder, where he starts is rarely an indication of where he will finish.

In Saturday’s Sprint, the KTM rider immediately set about making progress through the field. Starting 18th, he picked his way through the opening laps, gaining a couple of positions through incidents ahead while also making plenty of progress through his own pace and determination.

By the chequered flag, Binder had climbed seven positions to finish 11th, an encouraging result given the difficult circumstances of qualifying.

Then came Sunday’s main Grand Prix, and Binder produced another trademark charge. Starting from 18th once again, the South African steadily worked his way through the field, picking off rivals and taking every opportunity that came his way.

This time, Binder went all the way to eighth, gaining 10 positions from his starting place to finish well inside the points.

It was an impressive recovery from a qualifying session that had left him with plenty of work to do. While the issues in qualifying were undoubtedly disappointing, Binder once again showed why he is never a rider you can count out when the lights go out.

From 18th to 11th in the Sprint and then from 18th to eighth in the Grand Prix, Brad Binder turned a difficult qualifying session into a weekend of determined recovery at Silverstone.