Former Moto3 world champion Brad Binder will remain in Moto2 next year with the KTM Ajo squad, the Austrian marque has confirmed.
Binder joined the intermediate class last season, remaining with Aki Ajo and KTM following a dominant title-winning Moto3 campaign in 2016.
Despite a pre-season arm injury hindering him for much of the first half of his rookie Moto2 year, Binder managed eighth in the points table nine top 10 finishes, including back-to-back podiums at the final two rounds in Malaysia and Valencia.
Finishing all races inside the top 10 in 2018 so far and sitting seventh in the championship, KTM bos Pit Beirer believes the South African is “ready to take the next big step in Moto2.”
“It is a great pleasure to be continuing with Brad as part of our team, because we have had many fantastic times with him, including winning a Moto3 World title,” Beirer said.
“I think that the combination of Brad, Aki Ajo and us, KTM, is very strong and we can see that he is not a rider who is wild and over the limit, but who always wants to understand what he is doing.
“I think he is ready to take the next big step in Moto2, which will surely come now. I am very happy that this combination is staying together and this shows that we want to keep our people with us, because the riders are like our children and having them continue with us is our main objective.
“Next year we will have a new challenge with the introduction of the new engine supplier, and that motivates us all.
“I think that with Brad and Jorge [Martin] we will have a very strong team.
“Thanks to Aki we have had the opportunity to talk with the best riders in the world for the Moto2 project, because we have built a very strong team.”
KTM confirmed prior to the Catalan Grand Prix that current Moto3 standings leader Jorge Martin would make his Moto2 debut with Ajo Racing next year, replacing the Tech3 MotoGP-bound Miguel Oliveira.
Binder heads into this afternoon's Moto2 qualifying having ended practice seventh overall, while teammate Oliveira was 10th. Sky VR46 rider Luca Marini set the pace in FP3.
