Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) won the Moto3™ world championship at MotorLand Aragon after going into the race weekend with an incredible 106 point lead. Binder, whose first victory came in Jerez from the back of the grid, finally saw a lot of hard work and sacrifice pay off to make history as only the third ever South African world champion. The new Moto3™ title holder spoke after his recent P2 in the race and title win, about the championship, those behind him and the four rounds remaining - with no pressure.
Brad Binder: "I don't know what to say. Everything feels so strange - nothing feels real! It was tough. I struggled a lot in that race. Every time I tried to open the throttle I would miss the apex and go wide so I had to run other lines to the other guys…When I was behind them it was so difficult to keep a fast lap time. I tried my best to try and win the race but Bastianini and Navarro were both incredibly strong. I struggled to stay with them at the start but at the end I felt really strong. In the last corner, I saw Navarro was on my inside so I knew I had to brake super late and close the door - but I braked a bit too late. I went wide and that was it.
"I expected a bit of a bigger group. A few times I fell back down to 3rd or 4th and then tried to catch up again - I had to be a bit aggressive a few times because some of the guys were getting a bit crazy. It's a day I'll never forget. It's special to win the championship here and in the future Aragon is definitely going to have a soft spot in my heart."
The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was quick to thank those who have played a role in his championship campaign - and further back in his career.
BB41: "I'm so grateful to my parents. They've sacrificed so much for me to be able to be here today. We left South Africa to race in Europe when I was 12 years old. Today is the first day where I really feel that's paying off! I have such incredible team behind me, I can't thank Aki Ajo and KTM enough for giving me such an incredible bike."
Ahead now lies the Twin Ring Motegi to kick off the three flyaway races, before MotoGP™ returns to Europe in Valencia - via Australia and Malaysia.
BB41: "These last four races I can just go there and push, and what happens happens. It's going to be a strange feeling because all year I've tried to be a bit conservative at times, and now I can really just go out, put my head down and try and win the race."