Brad Binder, the first South African to win a MotoGP Championship race, says his dream is to become world champion and he won’t quit until he realises his full potential.
The 27-year-old is already into his fourth season of MotoGP. He won the Moto3 championship in 2016 and spent three seasons in Moto2 from 2017 to 2019.
When he made the switch to the big time, he claimed his maiden MotoGP race win at the 2020 Czech Grand Prix, which was a seismic moment in the early stages of his MotoGP career. He also started at the front of the grid at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix and came second in that race.
However, MotoGP has by and large proved a steep learning curve for Binder, who finished in sixth place on the riders’ standings and in fourth position for KTM in the constructors’ standings last season.
Binder ended up on the podium three times but was 31 points outside the top three — without winning a race.
“I know we have a lot more in us and I truly believe we can be fighting among the top three on the standings,” Binder told TimesLIVE Premium from his base in Andorra, before his first-place finish in the sprint race at the Spanish MotoGP ahead of KTM teammate Jack Miller, followed by a thrilling second place in Sunday’s main Grand Prix.
“The competition is so tight, and all bikes are incredibly competitive. Everyone is on an even playing field so we riders have to try to make the difference.”
After four races over a gruelling 21-round season which circles the planet, Binder finds himself in third place on the riders’ standings, with only Italians Francesco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi ahead of him in the embryonic stages of the 2023 championship race.
“In MotoGP there are few guys who are a little bit stronger than the others, but it can change from one week to the next,” notes Binder, who was born in Potchefstroom.
“When it comes to my competitors, I try not to concern myself about anybody else. I worry about myself and what I can achieve. Of course you look to others to see what they are doing and see where you can improve, but other than that I find I have very strong points myself as a rider,” says Binder, who has taken 62 points from four events.
Binder says his key strength is his ability to always rise to the occasion regardless of how everything has gone over the race weekend. He points to the fact that when it is time to get the job done in the race, he’s able to propel himself forward and sees that as his strongest point as a rider. In terms of his biggest weakness, he says it’s doing a perfect one-off lap and that is where he struggles a little bit more than his competitors.
Aside from his father, Trevor, who was Brad and younger brother Darryn’s chief mechanic, main sponsor and mentor, Brad’s fiancée, Courtney Renniers, has been a constant source of support and companionship. The pair, who met in Stellenbosch in 2016, are set to wed at a ceremony in the same town in early December.
“We have walked a long journey together and I know for sure the years ahead are going to bring us many more memories,” says Courtney, who describes it as Brad living his dream rather than her making sacrifices.
While based in the independent principality of Andorra, between France and Spain, the couple is constantly on the road and living out of suitcases with the MotoGP schedule traversing the globe — from first testing in Singapore in early February to the season’s climax in Valencia, Spain, in late November.
Binder says it’s a lot less glamorous than people would expect, but it’s his dream to be able to race in MotoGP and he wouldn’t change it for anything.
“Brad is an incredibly motivated and determined person and even more so as a rider,” Courtney adds. “He has a soft and kind nature but on track he is a fighter. He is driven and I know great things are coming for him. I’m happy that I get to share in his dreams.”
Binder outlines the difficulties of succeeding as a South African in the sport, owing to a lack of financial resources and world-class facilities but says that nothing is impossible. However, in terms of making it to the top, Binder stresses that it’s a long, hard road. He says that coming from South Africa, it’s not easy to get spotted and picked up by one of the bigger teams in Europe or in the world championships. He notes the only way to do it in the ultra-competitive world of motorsport is to make the decision and totally commit.
“The truth is racing becomes your entire life and everything you do revolves around trying to become faster on a motorbike,” says Binder, who enjoys strumming the guitar in his spare time and listening to Johnny Cash.
“If you can get that right, you stand the chance of living what I’m sure is a lot of young riders’ dreams. For me, the goal was always to get to MotoGP and race against the fastest riders in the world on the best equipment. Hopefully, one day I can achieve my dream and become a world champion.”
Binder says he sees himself racing professionally for the next decade, but much will depend on staying relatively injury-free. His brother, Darryn, who competes in Moto2, underlined the dangers of motor racing when he highsided in free practice ahead of a recent race. He crushed two metacarpals in his hand and has undergone surgery.
“I have a long time left in my career and would love to race for at least another 10 years,” says Binder. “It’s a sustainable career if you don’t pick up too many injuries, but in motorsport you never know. The reality is that you’re only as good as your last race.”
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