Sachsenring, Germany - It is now looking more likely than ever that South African motorcycling star Brad Binder is going to get a seat in the top-tier MotoGP class next year.
Following recent speculation to that effect in the German media, KTM’s motorsport boss Pit Beirer confirmed to MotoGP pitlane reporter Simon Crafar that the team was “in talks” with binder about a possible promotion to the MotoGP class in 2020,
reported over the weekend.
Beirer implied that the team would use such an option to ensure that Binder stayed with the team next year.
“If you discuss with the rider one step higher, he’s interested and we are working on that and talking about that, but there is no signed contract and that’s why we can’t confirm or talk about this situation,” Binder told Crafar during a pitlane interview.
Binder is currently eighth in the Moto2 championship, after a tough start to the 2019 season, but he has shown impressive form in recent races, finishing second in both last week’s Motul TT Assen and Sunday’s German Grand Prix, where he weaved his way through the field after starting from 17th on the grid, to finish second behind Alex Marquez.
Binder won the Moto3 championship in 2016 before graduating to Moto2 in 2017, while remaining with the Red Bull KTM Ajo outfit.
After a difficult period of adjustment to the bigger bike, aggravated by an injury attained during winter testing prior to the season, he made a comeback in the 2018 Moto2 season, winning four races.