After his incredible World Championship victory at MotorLand Aragon – four rounds ahead of the season finale – motogp.com rewinds through some of the best moments of the South African 2016 Moto3™ World Champion’s year.
Second in Qatar as the engines fired up for the first time this season, Binder first took the lead in the standings in the following race weekend in Argentina with a P3 – a result he repeated next time out at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas; confirming his status as Championship leader. Arriving in Jerez for the fourth race of the year, Binder was only 3 points clear of title rival Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and could have been expecting to see the lead change after being given a penalty for a technical infringement that would see him start from the back of the grid. In fact, Binder put together one of those races that will be remembered for many seasons to come – fighting through to the second group, catching the leaders – and then disappearing for a stunning victory. The win, unbelievably, was his first – and his intentions even clearer.
After that first taste of cava from the first step, Binder followed it up with another victory in Le Mans and then a third consecutive win in Mugello. At the Catalan GP Binder was second behind Navarro – who scored his maiden win – and then ended up off the podium in Assen and Sachsenring as the weather proved caution couldn’t be thrown to the wind.
The South African had to wait for the British GP at Silverstone to win again – but quickly followed it up with another stunner in Misano after a duel with championship rival Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3).
After that fifth win, Binder was facing his first match point at MotorLand Aragon and wrapped up the title in what was swiftly becoming Binder style – racing to win. Crossing the line just behind Jorge Navarro, the P2 finish was enough to proclaim him 2016 Moto3™ World Champion.
Binder is only the third South African in history to become a World Champion, and arrived in Grand Prix racing from the Red Bull Rookies Cup – following in the footsteps of other talents such as Johann Zarco, who won the Cup in 2007 and then became Moto2™ World Champion in 2015.
Already World Champion with four rounds remaining, Binder will now be able to savour the end of the 2016 season and push to his limits for some more incredible achievements, ahead of his move to Moto2™ next season to race in the colours of the new intermediate class Red Bull KTM Ajo team.