02/06/2024

Darryn Binder: "We have to take the positives with us."

In the Moto2 Grand Prix of Italy, which was reduced to 12 laps, LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto2 rider Darryn Binder made a very good start from fifth on the grid, but unfortunately, his battle in the leading group was over sooner than he wanted in the middle of the race. Moto2 rookie Senna Agius finally finished the Mugello sprint in seventeenth place and will take many insights with him into the short summer break before the Assen Grand Prix.

Up until lap 6 of the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, Darryn Binder had a thoroughly liberating weekend. Then fate struck, but it did not undermine the upward trend that had been recorded up to that point. After his strong qualifying, Binder started from row two in fifth position, from where he got away very well and held his own in third place in the first laps. The 26-year-old fought tenaciously in the midst of the seven-man leading group but lost a few positions towards the middle of the race and fought his way back to fourth position when a small mistake ruined everything. In turn 8, the infamous Arrabbiata, the front of his Kalex slipped, which was badly damaged in the crash. Despite the personal disappointment, the former MotoGP rider takes many positive impressions with him and is nevertheless pleased about the important development steps that he has taken this weekend together with his crew and which should also form the basis for a successful Assen Grand Prix in four weeks' time.

For LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP team-mate Senna Agius, however, it was not an easy weekend in Tuscany, but the Moto2 rookie also took a lot from these three action-packed days on a track that was new to him. He is the only rider in the Moto2 field who has never been to Mugello before. Starting from 26th on the grid, the 18-year-old faced a major challenge and even if he didn't make it into the points, his 17th place, which was nine positions higher, deserves respect, especially as the 5.25 kilometre Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello demands a lot from the riders and machines.

In four weeks' time, from the 28th - 30th of June, another season highlight awaits the squad from Memmingen with the Dutch TT and the two Moto2 protagonists of the German racing team are already looking forward to attacking again in the Netherlands with the knowledge they have just gained in Mugello.

Results

Race
1. Joe ROBERTS/ USA/ KALEX
2. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – (+0.067)
3. Alonso LOPEZ/ SPA/ BOSCOSCURO – (+0.934)
17. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – (+15.564)
DNF Darryn BINDER/ RSA/ KALEX

World Championship
1. GARCIA Sergio/ SPA – 122
2. ROBERTS Joe/ USA – 115
3. OGURA Ai/ JPN – 99
17. AGIUS Senna/ AUS – 16
24. BINDER Darryn/ RSA – 5

Senna Agius

P17 - (+15.564)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P17 - 16 Points

"It was one of those weekends where I struggled to get a feeling for the bike. We tried a lot, and I also changed my riding style to make it better: It's true that we improved, but we couldn't keep up with the steps the others were making. It was a head-scratching weekend, but we will learn from it and attack again in Assen."

Darryn Binder

DNF
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P24 - 5 Points

"We came to Mugello with a firm plan to take the bike out on Friday and do as many laps as possible. I immediately felt very fast and competitive after doing two or three flying laps. The feeling for the bike and for the track was really good. Over the course of the weekend, we made small changes, mainly to get ready for the race. We were able to improve in every session, which led to a good feeling, and we managed to get a good grid position. In the race I got off to a good start, I was in the group and watched the guys a bit and played a bit. Until then I felt super good. I'm disappointed in myself for making a mistake because honestly, that's the last place I would have expected to crash. I was fast, and felt very comfortable, although maybe a bit too confident. I didn't do anything different from the laps before. I went in and unfortunately, the front got lost. Unfortunately, I couldn't save it at that speed. It's super disappointing, but at the same time I'm taking the positives from this weekend, looking ahead to Assen and wanting to keep the momentum going there."

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

"Darryn gave us a lot of pleasure this weekend. He got off to a good start on Friday and continued to improve, which he topped with a second-row start. In the race, he settled well in the leading group. From the outside, it looked very comfortable. It didn't seem as if he had to ride above the limit. That's why we were a bit surprised that he crashed. It's a shame because we would have been delighted for Darryn if he had been able to finish the race. That would certainly have been a top result. Nevertheless, we have to take the positives with us. He has found his speed and, above all, a strong rhythm. We hope that he will be able to call it up again next time. The most important thing is that he's okay because that was a pretty heavy crash.
With Senna, we were prepared to a certain extent for the fact that it would not be an easy weekend. He was the only rider in Moto2 who had never been here before. You just have to take that into account and especially after such a positive weekend like Barcelona it's difficult for a young rider to understand. Moto2 is unforgiving when it comes to things like this. But Senna and his crew are doing a great job and I think he'll be back with good results soon."

Pictures Moto2 – Mugello Sunday

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