Brad Binder secured his first MotoGP
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With his first MotoGP win in Brno, Brad Binder showed why fans and experts rave about him.
The South African is the first rookie to win MotoGP since Marc Marquez 2013, and it’s only his third attempt. Binder crossed the finish line +5.266 seconds from the field after picking up the leading field one after the other after a quick start.
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Binder took over the lead of the race from Franco Morbidelli, who had built a comfortable lead in the early stages. Despite being unable to fend off Binder, Morbidelli still had the pace to secure his first MotoGP podium.
Johann Zarco completed the podium despite suffering a long lap penalty after a collision with Pol Espargaro. While fighting for third place at turn one, Espargaro went far away and when he tried to go back inside Zarco was already there and they were hitting each other. Espargaro would fall out of the race as a result.
The Frenchman shot his penalty at turn seven but notably did not lose any places after taking the long stretch in style. His tires were literally a few millimeters within the white lines, his knee skidded on the asphalt. It’s his first podium for Ducati and his first since Jerez in 2018.
Alex Rins finished in a remarkable fourth place despite still suffering from the shoulder injury he sustained in qualifying for the Spanish GP. A few more laps and Rins could have snatched the last podium place from Zarco, who was starting to struggle with his rear tire.
Valentino Rossi delivered another magical Sunday performance and finished fifth and fought his way up from 10th on the grid. Miguel Oliveira achieved his best MotoGP result of all time in sixth for the Tech3 KTM team.
The championship leader Fabio Quartararo had problems throughout the race, fell behind in the field and finished the race in seventh place. Takaaki Nakagami, Jack Miller and Aleix Espargaro completed the top 10.
Andrea Dovizioso finished 11th after a shocking Saturday in which he started the race from 18th on the grid, while his works Ducati team-mate Danilo Petrucci finished 12th. The Italian manufacturer has a lot to do ahead of the Red Bull Ring this weekend.
Cal Crutchlow finished 13th on his comeback from a broken left navicular bone, ahead of Maverick Vinales on the second Monster Energy Yamaha. Iker Lecuona lost the front and wiped Joan Mir out of the race in the early stages.
Despite a slightly disappointing day, Quartararo still has a 17 point lead over Vinales in the overall standings. Morbidelli and Dovizoso are both 28 points behind the Petronas Yamaha rider.
