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september 26, 2016 - KTM

Ktm’s Brad Binder 2016 moto3 world champion

“Today we lost the battle but we won the war,” an emotional Brad Binder commented in the finish area. He had hoped to go out with a win but had to settle for second place behind Jorge Navarro. Enea Bastianini, Binder’s closest rival for the title before the race finished third.

Binder went to Aragon with a strong change of taking the title. He had a 106-point lead and knew he needed to finish the race with a 100-point advantage to get the job done. He needed either a win or a second place on his KTM RC250 GP, and after that there was a baffling list of point possibilities that would still let him win the prize. 

There was a lot at stake for the Italian Bastianini who was the only rider with a chance of spoiling Binder’s party. He fought hard all the way but also admitted in the finish area that the South African had been faster on the day. Binder leaves Aragon as he arrived, 106 point ahead and with now four races and 100 points still up for grabs. Navarro’s win bumps him up to second in the rankings, four points ahead of Bastianini, and KTM riders Joan Mir and Nicolo Bulega are currently 4-5.

Binder: “Right now it doesn’t feel real yet. The race was tough. It came down to the final lap. I knew where I had to be and I gave it a try but I was so terrible in the last corner. Today we lost the battle but we won the war.” 

Before the race, tension was palpable, as the riders lined up on a grid that looked nothing like the results sheets in qualifying. Many riders incurred ride slow penalties from the previous day and Belgian Livio Loi was bumped off the front row to start at the back after his team was deemed to have a technical irregularity with his bike. This left Binder at the fifth grid position, two up on his seventh fastest in qualifying.

Binder, Bastianini and Navarro were the major players throughout the 20-lap race on the Spanish circuit, and it quickly developed into a battle of wits, race craft and guts. Bastianini was determined to extend his chances of closing the gap, and Navarro, who has had a difficult season with injury, was equally determined to take the race win and put himself back in contention. These three riders exchanged the lead during the first half of the race, joined by KTM rider Philipp Oettl in laps 7,8 and 9. The battle intensified from lap 13, then in the next lap Binder lost drive going through the Carlos Checa corner and dropped to fourth. 

Binder rebounded in lap 16 and swept from fourth into the lead. He was again forced wide in lap 18 and dropped back to fourth, which put him one point away from the title. Then, going into the final lap there was virtually nothing separating the top four riders, Bastianini, Binder, Navarro and Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio. Navarro hit the front with four corners to go and in the closing stages Binder slipped past Bastianini into second and the title was his.

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 1
Two points – all that separates Ayumu Sasaki from the 2016 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The 15-year-old Japanese crossed the line fourth after 15 thrilling laps of Motorland Aragon while his rival Aleix Viu took second behind Kaito Toba and ahead of Rory Skinner.

It was a fabulous six rider battle to the line and Sasaki thought he had the title. “I knew I just had to follow Aleix, I was third into the last corner and that would give me the Cup. Then Rory got inside me, I still thought it was OK as I could drive past on the exit but Rory wobbled, I thought he might hit me and I just rolled off a fraction. The race pace really was too slow. Because of the slipstream you can’t get away and we were stuck together but we should have gone quicker. Rory caught us and then on the last lap Fernández almost did the same. Now I just need one more point tomorrow, I just have to keep calm and concentrate.”

In fact he needs two points as Viu would have to win on Sunday to match his total. They would then have three wins each but Viu has more second places so would take the Cup in the #event of a points tie.

UPDATE Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 2
Sasaki took a perfectly judged, last second victory at Motorland Aragon but had already taken the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2016 when is single rival, Viu, was brought down on the first lap.

It quickly became a three man battle for the lead with Rufino Florido and Raúl Fernández swapping places several times a lap, shadowed by Sasaki, the 15-year-old Japanese. All three knew very well that leading down the back straight on the last lap was not the preferred option and both Spaniards, 15-year-old Fernández and 16-year-old Florido, made several unsuccessful efforts to break away.

For Sasaki it was the end of a perfect season. Four wins, only twice off the podium and those were fourth places. “I must thank all the Rookies Cup staff for the fantastic support, it is a dream come true, it is a dream I’ve had since I was a kid, to win the Rookies Cup and it is the best way to move into #moto3."

Next Race: October 16, 2016 – Twin Ring Motegi (JPN)
 
Results #moto3 MotorLand Aragon 2016
1. Jorge Navarro (ESP), Honda, 39:56.973 min (20 laps)
2. #bradbinder (RSA), KTM, +0.030 sec
3. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, +0.107
4. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA), Honda, +0.162
5. Joan Mir (ESP), KTM, +1.724
Other KTM
8. Gabriel Rodrigo (ARG), KTM, +3.008
9. Juanfran Guevara (ESP), KTM, +3.101
10. Philipp Oettl, (GER), KTM, +3.559
11. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, +3.594
12. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), KTM, +6.883
15. Bo Bendsneyder (NED), KTM, +9.776
17. Andrea Locatelli (ITA), KTM, +13.358
25. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA), KTM, +43.028
28. Maria Herrera (ESP), KTM, +1:10.624 min
DNF Nicolo Bulega (ITA), KTM, 0 lap
 
Standings #moto3 2016 after 14 of 18 rounds
1. Binder, 249 points (2016 #moto3 World Champion)
2. Navarro, 143
3. Bastianini, 139
4. Mir, 117
5. Bulega, 113
Other KTM
8. Romano Fenati (ITA), KTM, 93
11. Locatelli, 65
12. Oettl, 62
15. Quartararo, 56
17. Bendsneyder, 53
20. Migno, 47
21. Guevara, 40
24. Rodrigo, 22
27. Dalla Porta, 7
28. Herrera, 6

Results Race 1 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Aragon 2016
All riders on KTM RC250 RB
1. Kaito Toba (JAP), 31:01.137 min (15 laps) 
2. Aleix Viu (ESP), +0.084 sec
3. Rory Skinner (GBR), +0.184
4. Ayumu Sasaki (JAP), +0.268
5. Filip Salac (CZE), +0.279  

UPDATE Results Race 2 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Aragon 2016

1. Sasaki, 30:58.946 min (15 laps)
2. Raul Fernandez (ESP), +0.023 sec
3. Rufino Florido (ESP), +0.059
4. Ai Ogura (JAP), +8.252
5. Salac, +8.300

UPDATE Final Standings Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2016 after 13 of 13 rounds

1. Sasaki, 250 points (2016 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion)
2. Viu, 201
3. Fernandez, 195
4. Marc Garcia (ESP), 170
5. Toba, 121