Binder was "lost" on KTM before following Pedrosa
New factory KTM MotoGP rider Brad Binder admits he “felt completely lost” at one stage during the Valencia post-season test and asked the team for test rider Dani Pedrosa to help.
This year’s Moto2 runner-up Binder will make contest his debut MotoGP season with the works KTM squad, having been promoted from the Tech 3 team he was set to ride for in place of the ousted Johann Zarco.
Though he briefly tested the RC16 earlier in the year, the two-day post-race outing in Valencia marked his first proper miles on a MotoGP bike.
Commenting on his first experience and where he needs to improve, he said: “It is mainly just the lines and how you pick the bike on the exit of corners.
"The way you use the throttle – it is crazy! You use so much more throttle, even on a GP bike than you do on a Moto2 bike. You think completely opposite. It is really hard to try and work hard in my head and try to improve.
“It’s one of those things; the more I rode, the easier it felt to get to a certain point, but to go faster I kept still doing the wrong things. It made life difficult."
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Binder set his best time of 1m32.367s following Pedrosa and says shadowing him allowed him to see “what I was doing wrong”.
“I felt completely lost at one stage and then I got my team to go to Dani and ask if he’ll tow me around a little bit,” he said. “Obviously he was quite happy to help me.
"I was really fortunate, [I set] my quickest lap time behind him. All the things that I saw, that was basically where I noticed what I was doing wrong.
“That is where I really saw how quick he gets around the corners and picks the bike up, whereas I was just going in, going past [the apex] and not doing a very good job.”
"Insane" Espargaro impossible to follow
Binder went on to admit that he has a way to go before he'll be able to keep up with factory teammate Pol Espargaro, whose riding he described as "insane".
“I did [try to follow Espargaro], but he is still way too fast," Binder admitted. “I can see him for a couple of corners, and then after that he kind of disappears into the sunset.
“The amazing thing for me is the way he opens the throttle and the way he holds the throttle at [lean] angle.
“Some of the things look insane, but I am sure it’s one of those things that will come with time and I just [need to] find more confidence on the bike.”
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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