Brad Binder says that a more competitive KTM MotoGP effort is simply “a matter of time” now.
The field has just come off four Asia-Pacific flyaway events in five weekends, which the South African started with a first podium since Round 1 of the season when he finished second at Motegi.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing did one better a week later at Buriram, where Miguel Oliveira won a wet race, although its best result across the Phillip Island and Sepang races was an eighth for Binder at the latter.
The man who wears #33 put his Japanese Grand Prix podium down to a tweak which gave him more confidence with straight-line braking at the stop-start Motegi, and believes KTM has learnt lessons from the flyaways.
“We learned a lot these last six weeks and had some ‘ups’ as well as some challenging weekends,” said Binder.
“I need to say thank you to my team because they did an unbelievable job and gave everything every session for me.
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“Unfortunately, the result wasn’t there today and we still need to work to get where we want to be on Sunday afternoons.
“It is only a matter of time though.”
Red Bull KTM is in fact third in the teams’ championship, a title wrapped up with a round to spare by the Ducati Lenovo Team, and Binder sixth in the riders’ championship, although KTM is fourth out of six in the constructors’ standings.
Curiously, Binder has only thrice qualified in a single-digit position this year, at an average of 13.9, yet his average finishing position in the 18 races out of 19 this year in which he has made the chequered flag is 7.4.
Factory Team Manager Francesco Guidotti said of the Sepang race, “A hard day and for all the good work by the team these days in Malaysia – and through all of these flyaway GPs the last few weeks – we just couldn’t give the riders the best setting to make the most of the grip here.
“We have to understand how we can improve to give our guys more drive.
“It was positive that we stayed third in the teams’ championship and we’ll look forward to Valencia and ending the season in the best possible way.”
The Austrian marque is set for an influx of Ducati know-how, not only with Jack Miller joining Binder in the factory squad, but also the likely defection of two of the Bologna manufacturer’s crew chiefs, Christian Pupulin and Alberto Giribuola.
With Pol Espargaro also returning to the fold to ride for GasGas Factory Racing, currently known as Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, after two years at the Repsol Honda Team, the KTM group will boast riders who collectively have contemporary knowledge of three different motorcycles.
The other pilot in the quartet will be Augusto Fernandez, who moved back into the lead of the Moto2 championship ahead of his final round with Red Bull KTM Ajo.
The Valencia Grand Prix takes place on November 4-6.
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