06/10/2024

Binder saves 1 point in Motegi tyre gamble

In a 12-lap sprint shortened by the onset of rain, LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto2 rider Darryn Binder finished 15th in the points, while Senna Agius also fell victim to the tyre poker despite a strong opening phase and finished twentieth.

Pure drama at the Japan Grand Prix in Motegi. Shortly after the onset of rain caused the race to be stopped on the first lap, a tyre poker par excellence was sparked off, as the dark clouds in the sky over the 4.8 km circuit were gloomy, but the rain did not reach all parts of the track to the same extent.

On rain tyres, the two riders of the German-based racing team returned to the grid for the upcoming 12-lap sprint. Darryn Binder made a fantastic start from 21st on the grid in row seven and literally shot up to eleventh place. Further battles for positions even brought the South African up to the ninth place at one point, but unfortunately, further rain held off, which is why the 26-year-old slipped back position by position and ultimately finished P15, the last place in the points.

A similar fate befell rookie Senna Agius, who was also on rain tyres and made up many positions at the start of the sprint, only to lose them again. Twentieth place therefore in no way reflects the true pace of the Australian, who is now looking forward to his home Grand Prix in a fortnight's time. The 19-year-old wants to prove to himself and his home fans at the Phillip Island Circuit from the 18th - 20th of October that he is the deserved leader of the Rookie of the Year standings.

Results

Race
1. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX
2. Ai OGURA/ JPN/ BOSCOSCURO – (+2.535)
3. Filip SALAC/ CZE/ KALEX – (+9.103)
15. Darryn BINDER/ RSA/ KALEX – (+1'03.495)
20. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – (+1'10.296)

World Championship
1. OGURA Ai/ JPN – 228
2. GARCIA Sergio/ SPA – 168
3. LOPEZ Alonso/ SPA – 163
16. BINDER Darryn/ RSA – 50
17. AGIUS Senna/ AUS – 47

Senna Agius

P20 - (+1'10.296)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P17 - 47 Points

"I'm pretty disappointed about today. Unfortunately, we made the decision to play it safe and use rain tyres because the third sector was much wetter than the rest of the track and the rain also reached the pit lane. But we also decided to go for a full rain set-up, which would have paid off if it had fully rained. But it turned out differently because the track started to dry out. There was nothing I could do and have to learn from this race. That's why I'm going home now and concentrating on my home race in two weeks' time.”

Darryn Binder

P15 - (+1'03.495)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P16 - 50 Points

“The conditions on Sunday in Japan couldn't have been more tricky. We started on slick tyres but were red-flagged on the first lap due to the onset of rain. So, we all came into the pits and we decided to restart on rain tyres. I think a lot of people made that decision. Anyway, I did my best, even with the rain tyres, to be as competitive as possible. Unfortunately, it was only enough for 15th place. But a point is a point and we're taking it. Now it's off to Australia!”

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

“Motegi was a difficult weekend. The constantly changing weather didn't really play into our hands. On the contrary: we urgently needed good and, above all, stable conditions. The conditions were the same for everyone, but they made life particularly difficult for us because Senna simply lacked experience in such conditions. But I think it was good for his learning process. Even if the result doesn't reflect that, we will take away a few things that will help us in the future. Nevertheless, it wasn't what we expected.”
“As for Darryn, everything was fine except yesterday afternoon when he struggled a bit with the rear grip. That was perhaps also due to the weather. But when the track doesn't offer more, one rider suffers more, the other less. Nevertheless, we were very confident about the race because we knew that he had a good pace. Unfortunately, the race was stopped immediately, and the tyre choice was a lottery. At some point, we had to make a decision and unfortunately, we made the wrong choice."

Pictures Moto2 – Sunday Japan Grand Prix 2024

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