A three-week mini break in the 2024 MotoGP calendar allowed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing to refresh and reset for the Dutch and German Grand Prix double. The first day of consequential action at the TT Circuit Assen witnessed Brad Binder fight his way to 6th place after qualifying 9th with the KTM RC16. Teammate Jack Miller rode to 13th in warm early summer conditions.
The 75th Grand Prix at the historic TT Circuit Assen began under warm, wide Dutch skies in the north of the Netherlands and with a typically enthusiastic and busy crowd filling the grandstands and grass banks of the Drenthe venue. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were optimistic for the eighth round of the season while remembering Brad Binder’s near miss for podium glory in the 2023 Sprint and main Grand Prix race.
The South African was competitive through the first sessions on Friday to earn direct entry to Q2 on Saturday. Jack Miller had to plot a course via Q1 and with the lap-times within hundredths of a second around the flat, fast and weaving 18-corner layout, the Australian was unlucky to miss out by just 0.3 of a second on Saturday morning, meaning 14th on the grid. Brad’s lap attacks in Q2 resulted in 9th and the third row.
The Sprint rushed around a sun-kissed Assen in the afternoon. Binder was vying for the top five from the first stages and swapped asphalt with four other riders. Long Lap penalties and final lap crashes affected the final classification as Brad powered across the finish line in 6th and only a few tenths from the top five. Jack tried to make an impression from mid-pack. He won a tussle for 13th and with 13 full laps of data to make improvements for the full complement of 26 for Sunday.
Brad Binder, 9th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “This morning we tried for a bit of extra feeling. We don’t quite have the all-out pace of the front guys but I gave all I had and 9th was just OK. I had a good start in the Sprint and tried my best to get past the others but got stuck a little. We’ll keep working and see if we can find that extra step. It looks like we need to roll into the corner a bit more and get out quicker. A bit more extra grip on the rear would be the quick fix. Let’s see if we can work on it for tomorrow.”
Jack Miller, 14th in qualification, 13th in the Sprint: “I put together some decent laps in the Sprint and caught up to the boys in front of me but with about four to go they were still making a decent pace while I hit my limit. We need to find a bit more balance and try for some stability on the back straight as I’m losing free speed there. We have some ideas for tomorrow and we’ll keep plugging away. I enjoyed having my claws in the battle.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “We were expecting to be a bit closer to the front but we have seen new lap records here and everybody has improved from 2023. We are close to finding some solutions for both Brad and Jack, and this means the race tomorrow gives us some hopes compared to another busy period of qualifying and the Sprint. Let’s see if we can come away with some improved speed and good feeling to then go directly to Sachsenring.”
