The MotorLand circuit was a tricky stage for the Grand Prix of Aragon as thunderstorms created a wet and cool climate for the start of race day in Spain but sunshine soon dried the asphalt. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing slithered through the varying levels of grip to score 4th thanks to Brad Binder and the KTM RC16 as Jack Miller used his sensitive feel around the asphalt to take a top ten classification (later altered to 15th for a tire pressure infringement). Red Bull KTM Ajo celebrated milestones in both Moto3™ and Moto2™ as Jose Antonio Rueda won for the first time and Deniz Öncü grabbed his first intermediate class podium trophy.
MotorLand Aragon continued to throw curveballs at the MotoGP field for a challenging twelfth round of the season. After hot and slick conditions on Saturday (due to Friday night rain) a thundery and stormy climate create wet and unpredictable grip on Sunday morning. Brad Binder and Jack Miller were able to use the brief 10-minute warm-up session to try settings for the damp (and Miller was 2nd fastest) but by the time Moto3 and Moto2 had warmed-up the crowd the track had dried and provided a narrow, clean principal racing line.
Binder had some wheelspin from 7th and a greasy section of the grid, and Miller worked to get the best jump from 15th place. Brad made some moves and ended up behind Pecco Bagnaia and then Pedro Acosta. A collision between two riders ahead allowed the Spaniard and the South African to rise two spots in the ranking with five laps remaining and Binder nursed his tires to the flag. Miler established a rhythm a little further back in the top ten and was unlucky to lose 9th place on the last lap. Jack’s traction had evaporated entering the back straight and he was demoted to 10th by just half a second. After the race his tire pressure was found to be over the permitted limit and he was demoted to 15th.
The flat Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will host the next two rounds of 2024 MotoGP. The Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini stages the thirteenth fixture next weekend and is immediately followed by the last one-day IRTA test of the season.
Brad Binder, 4th: “A really tricky race. I needed a good start but I spun off the line again and all the way to Turn 1. I managed to pick my way through and pass a few guys. It was difficult not to make mistakes because the front tire was cooking until the end of the race. I tried my best to get Pedro but there was nothing left from the rear! We tried something different with the balance of the bike this weekend and it seemed to work over the distance. I think we have made a small step and we’ll try again next week.”
Jack Miller, 15th: “Long old race. Different track conditions again and I tried my best. Hard to handle the rear tire but I got into my rhythm. There were quite a few limitations but I was able to bring it home. A decent weekend because we showed signs of pace throughout. No mistakes in the race but I struggled to go with the boys in front of me. We’ll keep plugging away. I felt we could have had a bit more today: I just got nipped by Rins on the back straight and I was doing all I could to hold onto 9th! But I didn’t get the drive and it wasn’t to be. We’ll come back again in Misano.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Difficult weekend but in the end we’re pretty happy with a solid result and Jack also making the top ten on track. It was tricky because there were always different conditions or circumstances but we were able to manage it. Steady results and we now go to Misano also looking to the test afterwards and Pol’s [Espargaro] wildcard which will give us some help for the future.”
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