MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix: KTM's Brad Binder Tops Second Practice, Breaks Motegi Lap Record in Process

In the second practice session of the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix, Brad Binder from KTM achieved a remarkable feat by breaking the longstanding lap record set at Motegi. Also in this session, both Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo crashed.

Having broken the Motegi lap record on Friday's practice for the Japanese MotoGP, Brad Binder was optimistic about KTM's new carbon fibre MotoGP chassis. Test rider Dani Pedrosa's impressive performance on KTM's new carbon fibre frame at the San Marino GP earlier this month gained the Austrian company a lot of attention. The 31-time MotoGP champion came fourth during the sprint and the main race at Misano, where the new frame was tested on Monday by the racing riders. On Friday during the Japanese GP, Binder and Jack Miller rode the chassis, with the former topping second practice with a lap time of 1 minute, 43.489 seconds, eight years after the previous record had been set. The South African claims to have received the rear grip from KTM that he had been asking for, but he is "cautious" about the improvements.

MotoGP Japanese GP: Practice 2 Result

With Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi also securing top 10 finishes on Friday, Sunday's race at Motegi will be a close one to watch. The Prima Pramac rider topped the morning and afternoon timesheets before riders threw on soft tyres in an attempt to get a hot lap during the frantic final moments to enter the Q2 session.

MotoGP KTM Brad Binder 1

Also Read: MotoGP: 2024 Provisional Calendar Revealed, Bharat GP on September 22

The performance of Fabio Di Giannantonio of Gresini Racing was also noteworthy. In addition, Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3), who finished the day with the ninth-fastest time behind Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Maverick Viales (Aprilia Racing), will also compete directly in Q2 for the first time in 2023.

Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1	Brad Binder	Red Bull KTM	1:43.489s
2	Francesco Bagnaia	Ducati Lenovo	+0.029s
3	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia Racing	+0.295s
4	Jorge Martin	Pramac Ducati	+0.354s
5	Marco Bezzecchi	Mooney VR46 Ducati	+0.456s
6	Fabio Di Giannantonio	Gresini Ducati	+0.458s
7	Johann Zarco	Pramac Ducati	+0.573s
8	Maverick Viñales	Aprilia Racing	+0.628s
9	Pol Espargaro	Tech3 GASGAS	+0.730s
10	Jack Miller	Red Bull KTM	+0.772s
11	Miguel Oliveira	RNF Aprilia	+0.828s
12	Joan Mir	Repsol Honda	+0.939s
13	Fabio Quartararo	Monster Yamaha	+1.031s
14	Marc Marquez	Repsol Honda	+1.085s
15	Franco Morbidelli	Monster Yamaha	+1.168s
16	Cal Crutchlow	Yamalube RS4GP	+1.220s
17	Raul Fernandez	RNF Aprilia	+1.322s
18	Takaaki Nakagami	LCR Honda	+1.439s
19	Augusto Fernandez	Tech3 GASGAS	+1.742s
20	Michele Pirro	Ducati Lenovo	+2.377s
21	Alex Rins	LCR Honda	+3.747s

Also Raed: MotoGP Japanese GP: Jorge Martin Leads FP1 Session at Motegi

MotoGP Japanese GP: Binder’s New Motegi Time Record

On Friday of MotoGP practice in Japan, KTM's Brad Binder set the pace by breaking Jorge Lorenzo's 2015 lap record, followed by Francesco Bagnaia and Aleix Espargaro. Today, Binder, like his teammate Jack Miller, had access to the carbon fibre chassis. KTM's new carbon fibre chassis made its racing debut at the San Marino GP with wild card Dani Pedrosa and then was shipped to Japan for use by factory riders.

At the end of the second practice session, Binder went quickest of all with a 1:43.489s on the soft rear tyre, breaking Jorge Lorenzo's eight-year-old lap record. The new chassis on the RC16 provides more rear grip.

The focus of MotoGP development in recent years has been on aero and ride height devices, but the chassis appears to be the next battleground, especially if the regulations for aero and RHDs are tightened in the upcoming seasons.