Binder: Pol data 'incredible, insane' – Pedrosa help
Watch Live Race and all sessions
Watch Replay Race and all sessions
2019 MotoGP Race Calendar,Race Results and Replays
2019 MotoGP Standings
Rookie Brad Binder spoke of his admiration for the way Pol Espargaro rides the RC16 and appreciation for help from Dani Pedrosa at the end of his debut test as a factory KTM MotoGP rider.The South African was quick to admit that he still needs to shake-off the former Moto2 style after his progress stalled slightly during the final day at Valencia, leaving him 22nd and bottom of the timesheets.”It was a cool two days and completely different to what I expected,” Binder said. “To jump on the bike and to feel more and more comfortable, but I got to a point where I was riding more and more like I was on my Moto2 bike and that made it difficult for me to improve.”It is mainly just the lines and the way you pick up the bike on the exit of the corners,” he added. “The way you use the throttle is crazy. You use so much more throttle on a GP bike than the Moto2 bike when you’d think it is the complete opposite.”So it is really hard to try and work it out in my head and improve. The more I rode the easier it felt to get to a certain point, but to go faster I kept doing the wrong things, so making life difficult.”What were the ‘wrong things’?”Braking too late, going past the corner and not opening the throttle: pretty much!” Binder replied.”What I found I am doing too often is going past the apex of the corner so instead of getting the bike stopped and around the apex I was making too many metres. You gotta use the power…and I don’t know exactly what I was trying to do to be honest!”Binder has Pol’s data to analyse to help with the transition to MotoGP on a KTM, but there’s a difference between seeing what the Spaniard is doing and putting it into practice.”It’s incredible, to see his data and some of the things he is doing is insane. I have a lot to learn,” Binder smiled.”The way he opened the throttle and the way he holds the throttle with angle. Some of the things look insane, but I am sure it is one of those things that will come with time and when I find more confidence on the bike.”gg836803.jpg accImages.createImage();The greatest help for any rookie is to follow an experienced rider, using the same bike.”4Binder got a brief opportunity behind Pol but “he was still way too fast! I could see him for a couple of corners, then he kinda disappeared into the sunset.”While Espargaro was busy pushing the new KTM ‘beam’ frame bikes to the limit, Binder reached out for some assistance from 31-time MotoGP race winner Pedrosa, now a KTM factory test rider.”I felt completely lost at one stage and asked my team to go to Dani to turn me around a little bit, so he was quite happy to help me,” Binder revealed. “I was quite fortunate today that my quickest lap time was behind him (pictured).”All the things that I saw is how I noticed where I was going wrong, where I really saw how quickly he gets around the corners and picks the bike up. Whereas I was going in and going past and not doing a very good job.”Binder also got his first MotoGP ‘out of the way’ during his 66 Wednesday laps, in the form of a fast lowside at the notorious Turn 10.”You always have to have the first one and that is out of the way now and I am 100%. I had a few moments today and when I went down it was a good one!” he smiled.But all-in-all it had been a good second MotoGP outing for Binder, after some mid-summer laps at a private test.”Working with the new team has been amazing,” he said. “The guys are awesome, there is no pressure and they are super-chilled. They want me to improve in my own time. I had the little there at the end but other than that everything was pretty good today.”Now I can relax before Jerez and analyse what I need to change and from then on go forward.”Physically I feel good, and I’m actually really surprised. I thought I would have a lot more pain or would suffer a lot more, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I am still quite slow.”When you are two seconds a lap quicker then the way your body works on the bike is quite different. In mid-season I had a trainer come to stay with me to learn some new things but other than that, nothing crazy.”I definitely made a step in the second half of the season but the main thing I felt riding this bike is on my forearms. They, and the hands, work a lot harder. That will come.”When I can relax more then I’ll be a bit more loose on the bike.”Iker Lecuona, who made an early MotoGP debut for Tech3 KTM during the grand prix weekend, was the quickest rookie in 15th place with Binder’s Moto2 title rival Alex Marquez 20th for Honda.
For motorsport news follow TRmotosports on social media.
facebook.com/TRmotosports
twitter.com/TRmotosports
instagram.com/trmotosports/
linkedin.com/company/trmotosports-com
