KTM’s Jack Miller and Brad Binder explain what to do if you “smell the rain”

KTM leapfrogged Aprilia in the fight for second in the 2024 MotoGP Constructors’ standings as factory riders Brad Binder and Jack Miller came into their own during the sketchy conditions of the San Marino MotoGP.

Two riders known for their deft abilities when the weather turns, both Binder and Miller were among the riders to surge up the order during a short showery spell with the pair briefly running in the provisional podium positions at Misano.

Though both proceeded to lose ground as the conditions improved again, Binder at least held his own with a run to fourth place.

It was a result the South African pronounced himself satisfied with, not least because it sees him ascend to fifth in the overall standings, though he is now without a podium to his name since the season opener in Qatar.

“It was a different race,” he said. “It was really sketchy sitting on the grid, it was spitting the whole time but it wasn’t enough to see it sticking to the track.

“We had a lap where it got a bit damp but the next lap the track was pretty dry again, so it was difficult to understand how hard to push and what risks to take.

“But I was happy to get fourth place, I think we did the best we could today.”

Discussing the conditions, Miller - who is still without a ride for the 2025 MotoGP season - revealed how he attempted to stay calm in the conditions, telling himself the rain always seems heavier when travelling at speed.

“I felt pretty good,” he added. “It’s always tricky when you can smell the rain and see all the drops on the visor, but for me I tried to say to myself that I am covering a lot of distance so it looks like more drops than it really is.

“The curves were a bit slippery, so I was just trying to avoid them. I was fortunate to have Marc, Pecco and even Brad there in front of me for a bit, so you’re not the first back coming across virgin country. You can go off what they’re doing to try and close the gap.”

Though KTM is without a win this year - unlike Aprilia, which has topped the podium on four occasions this year - it is the Austrian manufacturer that now holds down second in the constructors’ standings with seven events of 2024 remaining.