KTM's Brad Binder says he plans to “take full advantage” of what he considers to be a potent motorcycle at the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix.
The South African was fastest in second practice, the only full dry session on Friday at Motegi, a circuit where the Austrian manufacturer has shown strong form in the past. Binder finished the 2022 Japanese GP in second place and backed that up with the same result in last year’s sprint.
With Tech 3 KTM rider Pedro Acosta registering the fourth-fastest time in the same session, Binder’s confidence for the 2024 edition appears to be well-founded.
“I’m super happy to be quickest,” remarked two-time Grand Prix winner Binder. “We started off pretty good this morning [in the partly damp session]. I felt pretty decent on the first few laps already. Everything worked well.
“We had a little hiccup at the beginning of FP2. I had to come in and swap my brakes because I had a massive vibration. After that I just needed to try and figure things out a little bit. And then, as soon as I put on the tyres for time attack, I felt really good.
“Our bike is working really well here on fresh rubber. We’ll try to work on race pace tomorrow and hopefully we can be strong.
“It’s clear this track works well for us. It did last year and it did previous to that as well. I plan on taking full advantage.”
Acosta, who is riding an alternative KTM chassis that was rejected by works rider Binder after he tried it at Misano, was similarly positive about his machinery.
“KTM always comes here with a strong bike,” said the Spaniard, who made the podium in Indonesia last Sunday and is on the prowl for a win in his rookie MotoGP season. “Brad put the orange machine in parc ferme after the race in 2022.”
Asked if he felt as ‘at one’ with his bike as it appeared from the side of the track, Acosta was happy to confirm the impression.
“It really does feel that good,” he said. “It’s super nice when your bike has the same strong points that you have as a rider.
“We don’t have many issues with the front. Now we’re improving a lot with the rear traction and turning. It’s becoming easier and easier to release the brakes when I feel I’m in a risky situation, and just try to make the corner.
“We have to be happy because we are getting closer [to frontrunners like Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia].”
Acosta (314.8km/h) and Binder (313.9km/h) were second and third fastest through the speed trap in second practice, with only Bagnaia’s Ducati flying through it faster at 315.7km/h.
