Winning was "strange point" of rookie MotoGP season - Binder
KTM rookie Brad Binder says his tough recent run in MotoGP has made him realise the "strange point of the year" was actually his Czech Grand Prix victory.
The 2019 Moto2 runner-up stunned at Brno in August when he dominated the Czech GP by 5.3 seconds to claim his and KTM's first victory in MotoGP in just the South African's third premier class start.
However, Binder has failed to register a top 10 finish since September and has crashed out twice - most recently at the Teruel GP, when he wiped out Pramac's Jack Miller on the opening lap. In an exclusive interview with Autosport organised by Red Bull, Binder admits he questioned his form after "everything fell into place" in the early races of his debut MotoGP season.
"It's funny, because you kind of lie in bed and think 'where did this all go wrong?'" Binder said when asked by Autosport if his recent form dip was hard to take given his strong start to 2020. "Because it seemed to not be easy, but everything just fell into place in the beginning.
"But I slowly started to realise that was the strange point of the year - winning was the strange point of my rookie year, not the crashing and making mistakes, riding into people, going off track. All of that is the natural point of your rookie year, so all in all I'm grateful I had the opportunity and took advantage when I did.
"I know it's going to happen again. I don't know when, but I'll get it right for sure. It's just a matter of time. We've got a brand-new opportunity here this weekend, so let's see how we get on."
On Friday, Red Bull launched a documentary on the South African's rise to MotoGP race winner entitled 'Brad Binder: Becoming 33'. The film charts Binder's formative racing years with his brother Darryn - who competes in Moto3 currently - and his rise through the grand prix ladder.
Binder says it's "super-cool" to have a documentary made about him already, and was pleased it showed the effort his parents put in to furthering his and his brother's racing careers.
"Yeah, it's been a long ride and it's been super-cool to see how far we've come," he said. "My parents, they made massive sacrifices and I can never thank them enough for all of that and without them there's no way any of this would ever have been a possibility.
"It's so far, so good. Super-cool, it's crazy to think there's a documentary out about me and I'm only 25 and I feel like my career's only starting.
"So, if there's not another one I think must be doing something wrong!"
You can watch 'Brad Binder: Becoming 33' at redbull.com
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