Brad Binder took some time during the mid-season break and heads home where he attempted to post the fastest lap record at the Kyalami race track in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider hails from South Africa, and Kyalami (roughly translated) means “my home” in Zulu. It’s a bit poetic and confusing to say that Binder went home to race at “home,” a statement made based on Jason Goliath’s train of thought, and he happens to be a comedian in addition to the host for the video.
Binder’s time to beat in order to set a new benchmark for the track was 1:45.00. The last premier class GP rider to set a record lap was the Australian, Wayne Gardner, back in 1992’s South African Motorcycle Grand Prix. It’s been thirty years since that record was set.
“It was so cool to ride this bike here, it is not quite the same one I’m riding at the moment, but super close and just to go through turn one at this track is quite unique - there is nothing quite like it out there,” said Binder.
Saddling up on the KTM RC16, the 27-year-old racer took to the track and posted a time of 1:42.26, beating out Gardner’s time by over two seconds.
“It’s been super fun, it’s something I never thought I would do in my life, riding a MotoGP bike around in some iconic spots all over Johannesburg,” Binder added.
We got a little ahead of ourselves though. What is a Red Bull production without a bit of background and flair? Binder got a training montage that included a bunch of motorcycles from the KTM Factory Racing stable. Binder had a go on all of the KTM race bikes including a 1290 Super Duke R, but the penultimate scenes were the ones where he saddled up on the RC16 to rip around on the streets of South Africa.
