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Race report

Jerez Moto3: Binder gets first win after miracle comeback from last

Brad Binder recorded a sensational maiden Moto3 victory in Jerez, recovering from a penalty that forced him to start the race from the very back of the grid.

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Ajo

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The South African had been due to start the race from second behind poleman Niccolo Bulega, but was relegated to 35th and last after his Red Bull KTM Ajo team was "found to be using non-homologated ECU software" in qualifying.

But Binder wasted no time whatsoever carving his way up the order, passing 14 bikes on the opening lap to move up to P21 and getting inside the points as early as the third lap.

By the ninth lap of 24, Binder had made his way up to fourth behind the leading group of Jorge Navarro, Francesco Bagnaia and Bulega, who had broken away from the rest of the field early on.

Binder made short work of the three second gap between himself and the lead trio, passing Bulega for third place on lap 15.

Bagnaia took the lead from Navarro at Dry Sack on that lap, but ran wide at Turn 1 to drop back to fourth, allowing Binder through to second behind Navarro.

The decisive move of the race then came on lap 18 at Dry Sack as Binder bulldozed past Navarro, who was forced wide - allowing Bagnaia back into P2.

Binder was unstoppable from that point on, going on to take victory by 3.336s - his first in 76 Grand Prix starts. He becomes the first South African to win a Grand Prix in 35 years.

"I knew I could still do it starting last," said Binder. "All weekend I had been fast on used tyres and I had a good rhythm. To get my first win from last on the grid is incredible."

Bulega grabs runner-up

The fight for second continued to rage between Navarro, Bagnaia and Bulega, with the latter forcing his way past at Dry Sack on the final lap.

The Valentino Rossi protege ran somewhat wide in the following corners, dropping back to fourth, but executed a superb last-corner pass on both his adversaries to grab the runner-up spot.

Mahindra rider Bagnaia completed the podium for the second time this season, with Navarro forced to accept fourth aboard the Estrella Galicia Honda.

Some 10 seconds behind the top four, Jakub Kornfeil emerged at the head of a large pack to claim fifth ahead of Joan Mir, Bulega's Sky Racing teammate Romano Fenati and Enea Bastianini.

Jules Danilo and Phillip Oetll completed the top 10 in a race where many fancied runners hit trouble, including Niccolo Antonelli, whose bike failed on the grid.

The Italian took the start from the pitlane, but later crashed out at Turn 8 in his fruitless attempt at catching the pack.

Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Martin also both tangled on the opening lap, putting the Mahindra rider out on the spot. Quartararo was able to continue for some laps before ultimately bringing his damaged Leopard Racing KTM into the pits.

Aron Canet on the second of the Estrella Galicia machines was another early casualty at Turn 1.

Full results:

PosRiderTeamBikeTime
1 South AfricaBrad Binder  Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM RC 250 GP 41:29.882
2 ItalyNicolo Bulega  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +3.336
3 ItalyFrancesco Bagnaia  ASPAR Mahindra Team Moto3 Mahindra MGP30 +3.441
4 SpainJorge Navarro  Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW +3.513
5 Czech RepublicJakub Kornfeil  Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW +13.728
6 SpainJoan Mir  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP +13.933
7 ItalyRomano Fenati  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +13.993
8 ItalyEnea Bastianini  Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW +14.052
9 FranceJules Danilo  Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW +14.409
10 Germany Philipp Oettl  Schedl GP Racing KTM RC 250 GP +14.588
11 ItalyAndrea Migno  SKY Racing Team VR46 KTM RC 250 GP +14.874
12 SpainJuanfran Guevara  RBA Racing Team KTM RC 250 GP +30.317
13 SpainGabriel Rodrigo  RBA Racing Team KTM RC 250 GP +30.668
14 MalaysiaKhairul Idham Pawi  Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW +35.746
15 JapanTatsuki Suzuki  CIP-Unicom Starker Mahindra MGP30 +35.783
16 MalaysiaAdam Norrodin  Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW +35.907
17 BelgiumLivio Loi  RW Racing GP BV Honda NSF250RW +36.085
18 SpainAlbert Arenas  MRW Mahindra Aspar Team Mahindra MGP30 +36.307
19 SpainMaria Herrera  Team Laglisse KTM RC 250 GP +45.591
20 Davide Pizzoli  Procercasa - 42 Motorsport KTM RC 250 GP +50.768
21 NetherlandsBo Bendsneyder  Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM RC 250 GP +53.795
22  Enzo Boulom  Procercasa - 42 Motorsport KTM RC 250 GP +53.985
23 ItalyFabio Spiranelli  CIP-Unicom Starker Mahindra MGP30 +1:22.026
R Fabio Di Giannantonio  Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW  
R Darryn Binder  Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra MGP30  
R Alexis Masbou  Peugeot MC Saxoprint Peugeot MGP30  
R Niccolo Antonelli  Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW  
R John McPhee  Peugeot MC Saxoprint Peugeot MGP30  
R Fabio Quartararo  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP  
R SpainAron Canet  Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW  
R Lorenzo Petrarca  3570 Team Italia Mahindra MGP30  
R Hiroki Ono  Honda Team Asia Honda NSF250RW  
R Karel Hanika  Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra MGP30  
R Andrea Locatelli  Leopard Racing KTM RC 250 GP  
R Stefano Valtulini  3570 Team Italia Mahindra MGP30  
R Jorge Martin  ASPAR Mahindra Team Moto3 Mahindra MGP30  

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