30.04.2022

Binder 15th fastest for Gran Premio Red Bull de España MotoGP™

MotoGP 2022 - Round 06 of 21, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto (Spain) - Qualification

Brad Binder KTM MotoGP 2022 Spain Qualification © KTM Images/Polarity Photo

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The sixth round of the world championship simmered in the bright Andalucían sunshine and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder was KTM’s quickest performer at Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto after a typically tight qualification.

KTM RC16s in 15th ,18th and 21st but split by less than half a second in Spain
Binder set to start from the fifth row while Miguel Oliveira is on the seventh
Remy Gardner classifies 18th on the grid
Raul Fernandez out of action after failing a late fitness test for his injured right wrist
Jaume Masia qualifies on the front row for Moto3™

MotoGP quickly throttled back into action and for the first Grand Prix on Spanish soil in 2022. The Circuito de Jerez–Angel Nieto first hosted the world championship event back in 1987 and has been an atmospheric and ever-present MotoGP venue. As well as being a popular race, notable for the noisy and enthusiastic fans, Jerez is also a staple testing venue, meaning that teams and brands have copious data around the 4.4km narrow layout that mixes hard braking points and fast flowing turns.

Brad Binder was the quickest of the KTM trio after a sunny Free Practice 1 and 2 on Friday as the South African slotted into Q2 reckoning. The tarmac was initially damp and slick after a thunderstorm on Thursday afternoon but by Saturday’s crucial final sessions was dry and more predictable. Binder just missed out on direct Q2 and then fell foul of track limits and a yellow flag for a fallen rider to miss his attempt in Q1. Like Binder in FP4, Miguel Oliveira demonstrated some promising race pace but could not manage a flying lap due to a technical issue and ended the day in 21st.

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Remy Gardner was 18th. The Australian was competing at the track where he made his first official test in the MotoGP class and with the RC16 and posted a lap a second faster than that initial debut. KTM were down to three riders after Gardner’s teammate, Raul Fernandez, was not able to pass a late fitness test on Friday morning due to the right wrist he injured last weekend in Portugal.

The Gran Premio Red Bull de España reverts to the traditional race agenda with the Moto3 race getting the program underway at 11.00 CET, Moto2 at 12.20 and MotoGP at 14.00.

Brad Binder: “I gave my best today and did all I could. This meant 15th today and obviously I would have liked to have been a bit faster but that’s what we managed. I think our race pace is much closer to the other guys so it is important to get a good start and to try and tag onto the front runners for a good result tomorrow.”

Remy Gardner:“It’s been a hard weekend to be honest. We didn’t have the speed but we did our best in Quali today. The stars aligned and I did a really great lap; I couldn’t repeat it!We are still working and trying and pushing as always. For sure there is still a lot to learn and hopefully we get some nice updates on Monday to help us go forward.”

Miguel Oliveira: “We had a great FP4 and we went into qualifying confident that we could be fast but we had a small problem that we couldn’t quite solve in time. It was really difficult to be quick otherwise and I tried my best but was losing too much in the sectors. Starting 21st is not helping but let’s see what race we can do tomorrow, it’s important not to give up. Arriving to the end and scoring some points would be great.”

Moto3 & Moto2 & Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

The first Q2 session on Saturday saw the fastest riders of the Moto3 class fighting hard for Pole Position. The distinction went to Izan Guevara and the leading KTM RC4 was placed in 3rd courtesy of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jaume Masia; the Spaniard is chasing his third consecutive podium finish. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü will begin the 23-lap sprint from 5th and the second row.

Moto2 Pole Position was earned by Ai Ogura but Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez was only six tenths of a second away in 9th. The Spaniard was determined to put the misfortune of his DNF in Portugal behind him and was consistently near the top of the time sheets in Free Practice. Countryman and teammate Pedro Acosta took 10th in his first qualifying outing in the intermediate class at Jerez.

The third race of the 2022 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup brought the fastest teenagers together for what was the second round of seven. Winner in Portugal, Jose Rueda, was again at the front of the pack and a group of eight riders all within the same second. The Spaniard triumphed by less than two hundredths of a second.

Results Qualifying MotoGP Gran Premio Red Bull de España

1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati 1:36.170

2. Fabio Quartararo (FRA) Yamaha +0.453

3. Aleix Espargaro (ESP) Aprilia +0.763

4. Jack Miller (AUS) Ducati +0.879

5. Marc Marquez (ESP) Honda +0.975

15. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:37.544

18. Remy Gardner (AUS) Tech3 KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:37.889

21. Miguel Oliveira (POR) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (Q1) 1:37.958

Results Qualifying Moto2 Gran Premio Red Bull de España

1. Ai Ogura (JPN) 1:41.289

2. Tony Arbolino (ITA) +0.010