With a few days to go before the season-opening Grand Prix in Qatar, we caught up with Red Bull KTM rider, Brad Binder to discuss the 2021 MotoGP and this is what he had to say:
Question: How was the offseason considering the impact of covid-19 in your rookie season?
Brad: “The offseason was cool, it was so nice to come home and catch up with my family and friends, as I didn’t get to spend time in South Africa at all last year. But COVID-19 did put a bit of pressure on my Moto GP as it’s a lot more difficult, especially just to live a normal life and try to get to another country and so far this year is looking the same.”
Question: The pre-season surely must have been very different to what you are used to, can you talk us through that?
Brad: “Pre-season has been great as far as the training and preparations go, though we were meant to start our first test in Japan at the beginning of February, but that got cancelled and moved to a date that was only a couple of weeks ago in Qatar, so we missed out on a few days of testing there, unfortunately, but yes it has been tough for us, the start has not been ideal or as we expected. We just need to stay focused and it is now the time where we could either work for 1st place or 15th place, but I am confident that we will get it right just in time.”
Question: Are you happy to have Miguel as part of the team?
Brad: “Definitely! It is really cool to have Miguel as my teammate, he is a really cool guy, we have always got on really well. I think we can really push Red Bull KTM on, I am sure between us we can do a really great job.”
Question: The rookie of the year season is done and dusted. What are the goals for this year for you and the team?
Brad: “The goal for me at the moment is that I really want to fight for a podium, every weekend would be fantastic. If we could be racing for that front battle and keep on pushing, it will give us the opportunity to learn much more and push on a little bit from there. I think we have everything we need to really be there. It’s just we need to try to put all the small things together and go from there.”
Last year KTM did more than just proved themselves, they showed everyone that they have the pace to be seriously competitive. Both Binder and Oliveira are sensational to watch. The Red Bull KTM due have our support and we hope to see wins, podiums, and perhaps even a championship. Go, Brad go!
