07/07/2024

Agius eleventh after outstanding rookie performance

For Senna Agius, the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto2 Team rookie, it was the best race of his still young World Championship career, as the Australian fought for the podium until shortly before the end of the race, taking home five more World Championship points in eleventh place. Darryn Binder crashed towards the middle of the race and only finished 25th despite an ambitious ride.

The performance of Senna Agius on this changeable Sachsenring weekend exceeded all expectations of the youngster from Australia, as Agius had only been familiar with the German circuit from test rides on a Honda a few weeks ago. However, the 19-year-old showed off his incredibly strong pace in qualifying on Saturday and although the race Sunday was much cooler and windier after a hot Saturday, the Aussie delivered a masterful performance in the 25-lap thriller in front of over 98,000 spectators on this race Sunday alone. There were some nerve-wracking scenes in which he battled against the big names in the class for nothing less than the podium. Unfortunately, his tyres degraded abruptly just a few laps before the end, which led to a direct loss of positions. Agius was no longer able to keep up with the pace due to immense sliding and was racing at the absolute limit. His eleventh place does not do justice to his outstanding performance, but with a further five world championship points, the Intact GP rider is 15th in the standings and will be back in Silverstone in a few weeks' time where he left off at his team's home Grand Prix: as a serious contender in the top positions.

Bad luck seems to be nipping at the heels of 26-year-old Darryn Binder, who also made an impressive start to the ninth race of the season, making up an impressive five positions in the first few metres. In tenth position, the South African rode a strong race, but in turn 1 his Kalex did not forgive him a slight mistake. Binder ended up in the gravel and did everything he could to rejoin the race. He finally finished the race in the last position in order to gain further insights into the Pirelli tyres and behaviour and to quickly get yet another crash out of his system before the summer break.

In the weeks leading up to the Silverstone Grand Prix from the 2nd - 4th of August, Senna Agius and Darryn Binder will recharge their batteries for the second, packed half of the season.

Results

Race
1. Fermin ALDEGUER/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO
2. Jake DIXON/ GBR/ KALEX – (+2.159)
3. Ai OGURA/ JPN/ BOSCOSCURO – (+4.418)
11. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – (+9.225)
25. Darryn BINDER/ RSA/ KALEX – (+1'13.462)

World Championship
1. GARCIA Sergio/ SPA – 147
2. OGURA Ai/ JPN – 140
3. ROBERTS Joe/ USA – 123
15. AGIUS Senna/ AUS – 26
24. BINDER Darryn/ RSA – 6

Senna Agius

P11 - (+9.225)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P15 - 26 Points

"Today’s outcome of the race has been bittersweet. For the first 10 to 15 laps, I could understand the feeling and see the guys up in front. I could see them struggling and I was adapting my riding. I thought I was saving the tyre and today was my day. Then we encountered a super-sudden drop, and I locked the front into Turn 8 and ran wide. I lost a few positions, and it was a bit devastating. Maybe I didn’t use it enough throughout the sessions. Anyway, I’m leaving Germany happy and proud. I gave it my all and I felt like a front-runner."

Darryn Binder

P25 - (+1'13.462)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P24 - 6 Points

"When I turned into turn one and released the brakes, I unfortunately lost the front. That had happened a few laps before, and I had the feeling that the front felt a bit strange. Obviously, it was getting a bit hot in the group, I was between a lot of guys. So, I dropped back a bit and tried to get some fresh air. But obviously, I didn't give it enough time. It's very disappointing because I felt really strong today, I had a good start and I think I made the right choice for the rear tyre, which meant I could have had a bit more than the other guys towards the end. So, it's disappointing, but at the same time I was close this weekend, but I couldn't get it together. But in the race, I felt like I could do it. So, I was hoping to be able to fight for the top ten at least. Anyway, it is what it is because it's been a really tough first half of the season and I'm looking forward to these three weeks to reset, refocus and put everything I've learned together and then come back and have a solid second half of the year. I feel like we're really close to getting things in line."

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

"You may not forget that Senna has never raced here at the Sachsenring before. So, it was a difficult Friday for him. Nevertheless, he delivered an acceptable performance. He really improved on Saturday. He made it into Q2 again and secured fourth place on the second row of the grid. Those were good prospects for the race, in which he was also able to find a very good rhythm. He was also able to make very good use of his fourth place at the start and was in the leading group for the entire race. Unfortunately, shortly before the end of the race, his tyre dropped badly, which is why he dropped back positions. Nevertheless, everyone could see today that he was able to keep up with the pace of the leading group. That's the most important thing and the rest will become clear soon. We were also happy with Darryn. Like Senna, he was in Q2 and was also in a good position to score points in the race. Unfortunately, his front folded in a battle with a competitor. But we will continue to fight with him so that he can show his true potential."

Pictures Moto2 – Sunday Moto2

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