29/09/2024

Binder shines in Indonesia with P5, Agius crashes early on

For Darryn Binder of the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto2 Team, the 29th of September 2024 is a celebration day, as the South African recorded his best Moto2 result to date with his fifth place in the Indonesian Grand Prix. After a good start to the race, rookie Senna Agius crashed on the first lap due to a collision.

It could have been a little late summer fairytale for the Memmingen-based racing team, whose riders tackled the first corners of the 4.3 kilometre-long Pertamina Mandalika Street Circuit side by side after the start. Sadly, rookie Senna Agius did not make it to the second lap after the 19-year-old was brought down by an opponent in the chaos of the first lap. The 19-year-old was unable to rejoin the race and so his 15th chapter closed with much disappointment, as the Australian's pace had been strong all weekend. Now it's time to quickly focus on the Japan Grand Prix, his next chance to score points.

For Darryn Binder, on the other hand, things went like clockwork on the picturesque island of Lombok. Over the entire 22-lap race, the South African showed that he is a force to be reckoned with in the battle for the podium. Right from the start, Binder shot up five positions, finishing the first lap in eighth place. At the front, Aron Canet pulled away from everyone with an outstanding pace, but an exciting battle for the remaining podium places developed in the chasing group. Only Ai Ogura was able to put a gap between himself and the trio consisting of Alonso Lopez, Joe Roberts and Darryn Binder. It was only on the penultimate lap that Fermin Aldeguer managed to get in between them, heating things up once again. The 26-year-old secured his best Moto2 result to date in tropical conditions and, in fifth position, not only takes eleven more world championship points to Japan but also plenty of self-confidence.

Results

Race
1. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX
2. Ai OGURA/ JPN/ BOSCOSCURO – (+6.218)
3. Alonso LOPEZ/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – (+7.613)
5. Darryn BINDER/ RSA/ KALEX – (+8.097)

World Championship
1. OGURA Ai/ JPN – 208
2. GARCIA Sergio/ SPA – 166
3. CANET Aron/ SPA – 156
15. BINDER Darryn/ RSA – 49
16. AGIUS Senna/ AUS – 47

Darryn Binder

P5 - (+8.097)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P15 - 49 Points

“I'm very happy with the weekend in general. The fact that I finished in 5th place makes the feeling even more exciting. That was definitely the cherry on the cake. We took a step forward. Unfortunately, I struggled a bit in Misano, but here in Lombok, we have continued the progress. Starting from P13 was definitely a help to get closer to the front. I'm still working on my qualifying, it's super important to start as far forward as possible. Today I knew I had the pace, but I was missing a bit more to really fight with the guys in front of me and for the podium. But well, I was there, and I felt good. I'm looking forward to the next couple of races. If I can improve my qualifying and maybe find a bit more on the bike, I can fight for the podium for sure, because I want to finish the season as strong as possible. That is the goal.”

Senna Agius

DNF
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P16 - 47 Points

“Today, there's nothing much to say. I had a really good start, but unfortunately, I came together with another rider in turn 10 and we touched, with the consequence that I crashed out of the race. I'm quite disappointed because my package this weekend was really good, and I think we made a big step overall. It was my first time here in Indonesia and we proved that we were quite competitive straight away. So, I'm quite disappointed because we could have had a really good result today. But I congratulate the other team in our garage because Darryn did a really good race. So, congratulations to them. With this mentality and the package, we have now, we can be competitive at other tracks as well. At the moment, I want to get going again as soon as possible in Japan.”

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

“The weekend showed that we are on the right way with our riders. Both Senna and Darryn made it into Q2. So, they were in great spirits for today's race day. Darryn did a very strong race. He battled in the leading group until the end and was very close to the podium. I think we can be proud of him because he did a great job today. His pace was strong, and he didn't make any mistakes. Respect and congratulations to him. Unfortunately, Senna was unlucky because something similar was expected of him today. Unfortunately, he was knocked out of the race by a rival on the first lap. The main thing is that he is healthy. Of course, he's disappointed, but he'll get over it quickly because, in a few days, he'll be able to make up for what he may have missed today. Looking back on the weekend, we have to keep at it and carry on as before. The atmosphere in the team is great and the guys are all motivated. That's why we're already looking forward to Japan.”

Pictures Moto2 – Sunday Indonesian Grand Prix 2024

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