17/11/2024

Agius ends rookie season with P12 in Barcelona, Binder bids farewell with P15

After battling for a possible podium finish, Senna Agius ended his rookie season with P12 in the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona. Darryn Binder said goodbye in his last race for the Intact GP racing team with 15th place.

Senna Agius' good work in qualifying on Saturday went largely unrewarded despite a fantastic opening phase of the 21-lap race. From tenth on the grid, the Australian stalked his way up to fifth place within a few laps, where he was in a direct rookie duel against Diogo Moreira and battling for third place on the podium directly behind Moto2 world champion Ai Ogura. Towards the middle of the race, however, the 19-year-old began to experience increasing problems with his right forearm. Agius had never experienced such issues before, but with his arm becoming increasingly numb, he no longer had any feeling when braking or accelerating and so the youngster had to watch as he lost position after position and eventually crossed the line in thirteenth place. After the subsequent disqualification of a contender, he was finally classified as twelfth. He was beaten in the battle for the title of best rookie, but can still look back on a strong first world championship season in which the Aussie has shown enormous development, which he crowned with a podium, his third place at the home Grand Prix on Phillip Island.

Darryn Binder's goal for his last race with the German Intact GP team was to have fun and, if possible, score points. Starting from 22nd on the grid, the 26-year-old was still feeling confident, but even though he was in the points for most of the race, he was unable to put up enough of a fight at the end and crossed the finish line in sixteenth place. He was also promoted to 15th place due to the disqualification, which meant that he was ultimately able to celebrate scoring a point in his final race. The South African spent his first two years in the Moto2 World Championship alongside the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto2 team, who would like to thank Darryn Binder for two intensive years of great work and will keep fond memories of season highlights such as the fifth place in the Indonesian Grand Prix and wish him all the best for his future.
None of this would have been possible without the enthusiasm of everyone involved and the support of all the sponsors, so we would like to express our special thanks to them.

Results

Race
1. Aron CANET/ SPA/ KALEX
2. Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – (+0.091)
3. Diogo MOREIRA/ BRA/ KALEX – (+1.124)
12. Senna AGIUS/ AUS/ KALEX – (+14.733)
15. Darryn BINDER/ RSA/ KALEX – (+16.476)

World Championship
1. OGURA Ai/ JPN – 274
2. CANET Aron/ SPA – 234
3. GONZALES Manuel/ SPA – 195
18. AGIUS Senna/ AUS – 66
19. BINDER Darryn/ RSA – 54

Senna Agius

P12 - (+14.733)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P18 - 66 Points

"I had a really good start and on the first few laps, I tried to conserve the tyre. I was able to stay in the leading group quite well. But then, eleven laps before the end, my right arm went to sleep for some reason. I no longer had any control over it and could no longer brake or open the throttle as I wanted. I wondered whether I would be able to finish the race at all. So, I just tried to bring the bike home. I'm very disappointed because my bike felt fantastic and the fight for the podium was right in front of me. Getting into it was my plan towards the end. I've never had a problem with this physical issue in my life, but something obviously went wrong today. That worries me a bit. Overall, I'm happy with my first World Championship campaign. I did my best and had some good moments. Many thanks to the whole team for all the efforts and work they did for me!”

Darryn Binder

P15 - (+16.476)
Moto2 World Championship 2024 - P19 - 54 Points

“It was a difficult weekend because I struggled all the days to feel comfortable. So, I knew it was going to be a tough race today, starting from P22 on the grid. But I went out and tried to save the tyres as much as possible at the beginning. In the middle of the race, though, I felt quite good. But in the last quarter of the distance, I struggled as much as the rest, which disappointed me a little. Nevertheless, I did what I could and brought the bike home in the last race. I would like to thank the whole LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP team; it has been a pleasure to work with them over the last two years. I can't thank them enough for everything and wish them all the best for the future!”

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

“We are very delighted for Senna about his strong rookie season. He fought for the «Rookie of the Year» title right to the end and even achieved a podium in his first full world championship season. That would also have been possible today, but unfortunately, he suffered a problem with his arm. Nevertheless, it has been a very positive season, and we see today's problem as a positive thing either way because Senna can now prepare himself during the winter break to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. It's also a great pleasure to see how well his team has gelled together. They work really well together, and the riders's potential is also very high. I think we can already look forward to next year with him.”
“On the other hand, Barcelona was somehow indicative of Darryn's season. We were either way out in front with him or we were fighting for the last points. Nevertheless, we had a great time with him and many very nice moments together. We simply have to remember that. It's not easy for us to say goodbye to Darryn, because we got on very well together. But his crew was also a unit. We wish him all the best for next year so that he can take further steps in this class, and we can then fight against each other.”

Pictures Moto2 – Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona 2024

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