Moto3: Binder dominates opening day in Austria

Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder has dominated the opening day of Moto3 action at the Red Bull Ring, as the South African took control of the second practice session to end day one at Spielberg in P1. Gresini Racing Moto3 rider Enea Bastianini put in a final dash over the line to set the second fastest time of the day, ahead of Leopard Racing’s Fabio Quartararo.

Binder, who has a 47 point lead in the championship as the second half of the season gets underway, was the first rider down in the 38s and then again the first to drop into the 1:37 with only a few minutes of FP1 remaining, and the South African’s stunning form at the new venue continued into the afternoon as he cut that lap time by almost a second.

There were a number of laptimes cancelled throughout the day – including some of Binder’s faster efforts – after riders exceeded track limits: something that could prove more pivotal on Saturday when qualifying gets underway.