Brad Binder Blindsided by KTM’s Bizarre Breakdown: What Happened?

Alex Harrington | Oct 5, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Brad Binder (33) of South Africa and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rides during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

During the sprint race of the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi, Binder was blindsided by an unforeseen technical malfunction that forced him out midway after just a few laps. Qualifying fifth on the grid and looking to finish his race on the podium, Binder was running comfortably in fourth place early on. However, his race was abruptly cut short due to an electronics malfunction with his KTM machine. 

The source of the issue, as diagnosed by KTM, was an unexpected electronics failure that affected the powertrain, forcing Binder to retire the bike.

"We have identified that the issue was caused by an unexpected 'electronics' malfunction," KTM explained in a statement. Binder himself reflected on his early exit:

“It was cool to be on the second row. I got a decent enough start and at the beginning I was just trying to figure everything out. But a couple laps in, unfortunately, we had a small electronics malfunction and that was unfortunately my race over. That’s racing and luckily we have tomorrow to try again,” he said.

This race was not only decisive for Binder but also for his teammate Jack Miller, who managed to finish in eighth place and became the highest-ranking KTM rider in the sprint. Miller, however, was not free from issues himself, grappling with an underperforming soft rear tyre that lost its performance earlier than anticipated.

"Was happy enough at the beginning of the race, then kind of suffered a little bit," said Miller, who, despite the struggle, maintained his position through most of the race and bolstered hopes for future races.

The sprint race also saw drama with Tech3's Pedro Acosta as he crashed out while leading on lap nine, ending his chance of a win.

2024 Japanese MotoGP Sprint Results

1. Francesco Bagnaia
2. Enea Bastianini
3. Marc Márquez
4. Jorge Martín
5. Franco Morbidelli
6. Fabio Di Giannantonio
7. Álex Márquez
8. Jack Miller
9. Maverick Viñales
10. Marco Bezzecchi
11. Raúl Fernández
12. Fabio Quartararo
13. Luca Marini
14. Johann Zarco
15. Augusto Fernández
16. Álex Rins
17. Lorenzo Savadori
18. Remy Gardner
19. Joan Mir
20. Pedro Acosta
21. Aleix Espargaró
22. Takaaki Nakagami
23. Brad Binder