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There are days when a crossroads opens up for you and you have to choose the right road to follow. Sometimes it takes luck, but also a lot of courage and, in Brad Binder's case today, a hefty dose of madness. Staying on the track in a downpour with slicks is a balancing act, but if you can complete it you can win. KTM’s South African rider proved it today...
"In the last lap it was not a matter of racing, but of surviving" he began his story, laughing all the time because he too had to eliminate all the risks taken out of his mind.
And not to put too fine a point on it, his race hadn't even started in the best possible way. On the contrary.
"All I wanted last night was a podium today, because I hadn't had one for a long time - exactly one year, since the victory in Brno - Too bad that before the rain I was having a terrible race, the rear tire was sliding all over the place under braking. When I saw the first drops I realized I had an chance to recover on the leading group ".
Which worked perfectly, but then it started to really rain.
"The other riders returned to the pits to change bikes and I decided at the last minute when the whole group pulled into the pits - he explained - At that point there were 4 laps to go, I had to try, it seemed like a good idea to stay on track and the first lap was good and then the last two were something else. The last lap the brakes went cold and so did the tires, so I couldn't even stop. I really struggled to stay on track. But sometimes you’ve got to take the gamble and today this was KTM’s home GP, it worked”.
This doesn't mean it was a walk in the park…
“I just tried to do the best I could, at Turn 3 I found myself with the steering closed while I was stepping on the rear brake pedal. From one moment to the next I expected someone to pass me and, honestly, when I crossed the line it was a relief" he admitted.
Sometimes he went onto the run-off areas and even took a 3 second penalty for it…
"It wasn't that I wanted to go on the green, but either I went straight a bit or I crashed: I think I made the right decision - he joked - In the end I think I made the lap longer a bit, but at every corner I was without brakes and the thing was sideways ".
This victory has a particular significance for Binder, because after his first one last year the problems started and a comparison with Oliveira did not improve things.
“The first win is always special, it came very quickly for me, but getting this second was a big challenge - he said - In the last few races I realized that our bike has great potential and that I had to work on myself. Seeing your partner going strong from a certain point of view makes things easier, because he can teach you a lot ”.
