Binder: ‘Brake pads opened because of shaking, lost two laps, frustrating’

The KTM rider spent most of FP2 inside the top ten after two impressive race runs, however, a crash for Cal Crutchlow at the end of the second MotoGP practice and brake pads opening due to severe shaking aboard his RC16, left Binder down in 13th. 

After securing his second podium of the season at the Japanese MotoGP, keeping hold of such momentum is of high priority for the South African, who said ‘we needed this podium desperately and hopefully this is the start of many more’ following last Sunday’s Grand Prix.

But if he’s to do so then making his way into Q2 in Buriram - whether that’s by securing a top ten spot in FP3 which could be wet or by advancing in Q1 - it will be a must for the former Moto3 world champion. 

The good news for Binder is that team-mate Miguel Oliveira showed how much pace KTM has over one lap after finishing fifth. 

Speaking after the opening day, Binder said: "Today was actually okay. First time here [on a MotoGP bike] and I really enjoyed the track. The bike is not working badly at all. 

"This morning my pace was really good and also in the first two runs this afternoon I felt pretty good and I felt confident. 

"Unfortunately in my last run my [brake] pads opened from a lot of shaking so I lost two laps because of that and my third lap was [impacted] by yellow flags. 

"It’s really frustrating but at the end of the day I’ve been fast and I can go fast here. I just didn’t get the opportunity to do a lap. I’m really praying it’s dry tomorrow. 

"When you have a lot of shaking it’s quite normal that brake pads open and here I’m struggling a bit with stability due to quite a few bumps. I lost my brakes going into turn four and then I lost it going into the last corner. It was not ideal."

Binder was encountering brake pad issues along both straights, but also the final part of the circuit which goes from left to right in quick change of direction before a hard braking final corner.  

"We’ve got a lot of shaking down the back straight, well both straights, and then especially in this last section with the chicane," stated Binder. 

"When you come over the right there’s a little bit of pumping and when you go over the curb it shakes a bit."