Red Bull KTM Factory Racing obtained two points-scoring performances to close the MotoGP season in fine style at the twentieth and last round of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Brad Binder raced the KTM RC16 to a brilliant 6th place from P18 on the grid and finished top five for 2024. Jack Miller scored 13th as KTM is confirmed as the second-best Constructor. Meanwhile the KTM GP Academy sealed the campaign with a best result of 4th by Jose Rueda Antonio in Moto3™ and with Celestino Vietti 7th in the Moto2™ championship for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Sunshine blanketed the 14-corner layout outside the Catalan capital and the Grand Prix arranged in solidarity for the flood victims of the Valencia region; home of the last round that was cancelled just over two weeks ago. Binder and Miller both had their work cut out with grid slots of 18th and 19th but Brad had already made a nine position gain to grasp the last Sprint point on Saturday and edge to within two points of 5th in the championship standings.
The Grand Prix ran for 24-laps on Sunday afternoon and both Binder and Miller could rely on the usual starting prowess of the KTM RC16 package. Grip and traction were issues that had to be managed across the notoriously slick Catalan asphalt.
Binder ended the first lap already inside the top ten. Miller gained ground to 15th. Brad fought hard and grabbed more positions as he extended his race pace while others suffered with grip. He reached 6th and was just 7 seconds away from the winner. Jack also combed the limits and banked 3 points for 13th.
Red Bull KTM drew a line under their eighth year in the premier class with a podium trophy and a top five finish in the championship as well as standing P2 in the Constructor’s contest. 2025 testing begins on Tuesday with Pedro Acosta stepping into the crew alongside Binder.
Brad Binder, 6th: “I was happy with today’s race. I knew it was really important to get the tire until the end so I tried not to get too carried away at the beginning. I was quite pleased; I would have liked to have been a bit further forward but coming from 18th it is hard to ask for much more. Thank you to my team. It’s been challenging this year but we always tried to make the best of every situation and to finish 5th in the championship is cool.”
Jack Miller, 13th: “I had a good start, settled in there and the tires stayed good but I just couldn’t push much and got stuck behind some guys. We signed-off by finishing the race and putting some points on the board. I think both KTM and I wanted more but I gave my all from the first laps of testing until the last laps today. Onto the next chapter.”
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A strong way to finish the season: 6th place in the race and 5th in the championship. Our initial target was different but we have to be happy. Jack had good race pace today but starting from the back of the grid meant it was hard to recover and gain more. I would like to thank the riders, the technicians and all the team staff for the season. It was a challenge, but we made some progress and we’re looking to Tuesday to start the next one.”
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