Johannesburg — The Binder brothers enjoyed familiar surroundings this past weekend with a short stop in Johannesburg, but there might be very little comfort from Friday onwards in Indonesia.
The Mandalika International Street Circuit welcomes MotoGP this weekend to the motorbike racing-mad nation after a 25-year-long hiatus, but there are some major concerns regarding the unfamiliar track.
The entire field have only tested at the circuit during pre-season, and then it was reported that the asphalt was lifting, and shooting pebbles and pieces as the bikes rode over it, turning the track – as the-race.com put it – into a “firing range”.
The organisers have hastily resurfaced the track, but it remains to be seen if it maintains its integrity throughout the weekend. That opens up a myriad of possibilities, as the alien nature of the track layout could arguably see the bravest, and not necessarily the fastest, rider claim the win.
Moreover, humid but wet conditions are expected on the island of Lombok this weekend, which could result in a flag-to-flag race, with chaos ensuing. A race on full wets is also a possibility.
For Brad Binder, Indonesia presents an opportunity to build on his stellar performance at the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix a fortnight ago. Brad stormed to an impressive second-place finish then, and with Ducati below their best, the 26-year-old could be fighting for a place on the podium again on Sunday.
“It was an amazing feeling getting a podium at the opening round in Qatar,” said Brad to the media on Thursday.
“It is a track that has always been a bit of a tricky one for myself and KTM. To walk away there with a second place and stand on the podium was a great, great feeling and it is a great way to start the season.
“We are looking to try and keep up that performance and just try and find that final step will be great.”
That confidence bodes well for Brad this weekend as he prepares to take on Indonesia with only limited knowledge.
Said Brad: “We were able to have three days of testing here (at Mandalika) already, which were all quite positive.”
“I had a good feeling with the bike and the bike is working well. We have a really good base-stetting and the gearbox is all working good. So, I think it will be trying to fine-tune the settings a bit and to be ready to make a good tyre choice on Sunday, because this track seem to be very heavy on tyres.”
If they are greeted by a wet track, Brad also has now the necessary experience to tackle such an eventuality in the elite class. He famously won the Austrian GP last year in such trying conditions with a courageous effort.
The same cannot be said of younger brother Darryn, who has never raced in the premier class in the wet. However the 24-year-old came close to scoring his first point in MotoGP in Qatar, eventually finishing 16th.
The WithU Yamaha RNF rider’s effort was quite solid, considering his limited opportunities on his bike and the debutant could perform well in Indonesia, especially due to the fact that he has at least experienced the track on his ride during pre-season.
“I definitely enjoyed the test there," said Darryn in an interview with crash.net earlier this week, ”so, it’s very nice coming to a track, where I have done a couple of laps on a MotoGP bike already ...
“I’ll try to have a good weekend in Mandalika and hope the track conditions there are better than during the test.”
Broadcast of the event starts at 5.45am on Sunday with the Moto3 race. The MotoGP race, with both Binders participating, is scheduled to begin at 8.30am.
IOL Sport