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MotoGP Argentina | 15-to-1 outsider Brad Binder hits jackpot with sprint win

Brad Binder admits he wasn’t expecting to mount a challenge for victory in the 12-lap Argentina MotoGP Sprint Race from a lowly 15th on the grid, the KTM Factory Racing rider clinching a third career win in the MotoGP class at Termas de Rio Hondo.

The South African produced a stunning ride from a near-final row starting position to muscle his way from 15th to first in just two-and-a-half laps, Binder going on to hold firm to the flag after fending off a late attack from Marco Bezzecchi.

Having carved a reputation as a lightning quick starter since making his MotoGP debut with KTM in 2020 - a reflex skill developed to negate a somewhat inconsistent qualifying record - Binder has gone on to earn the nickname ‘Sunday Man’ in a nod to a tendency to leave it until the races to show his best form.

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It is perhaps ironic then that the rider many would expect to take time getting into a full length grand prix needed only 100m to get from 15th to fifth at Turn 1.

“I didn’t expect that at all,” he said after the race. “The bike worked so well from the first lap. We made a huge step from Friday and I could keep a rhythm to go faster than my best lap yesterday

“I got the most unreal start I could have ever asked for. I got incredibly lucky that I had a gap in the riders where some went left, some went right so I could go in the middle. The start was perfect, couldn’t have asked for better.”

Though it won’t count statistically alongside his two full length MotoGP wins in the Czech Republic (2020) and Austria (2021), Binder says he was determined to make his rapid getaway count by any means possible.

“When I saw an opportunity to go to first, I took it with both hands. My plan from then for whomever passed me was to just dive bomb them straight back.

“Sometimes we haven’t been the fastest by any means, but today I had the idea that if I fight the hardest, maybe I can get something. 

Binder’s maximum haul of 12 points builds on his top six finish from Portimao last week and lifts him to fourth overall.

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