Brad Binder: Eighth 'like a win' after ride-height malfunction

The South African, second at the Qatar season-opener, had qualified a strong fourth in the dry but is also a renowned wet weather rider, including winning on slicks in the rain at the Red Bull Ring last year.

But the ride-height device on his RC16 began malfunctioning from the start.

"I’m really disappointed because I felt good all weekend, especially on the wet tyres," Binder said. "After the start something happened with my ride height device.

"Every time I braked it would come up. I’d turn, let go of the brake and it would drop down again. I did the whole race with the ride-height device completely down.

"Considering I finished eighth, I think it’s a win. If it was a dry race I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. Because of the [wet], we got really lucky and managed to finish.

"In general I’m happy. I managed to bring the bike home, which was really difficult. It doesn’t turn when the ride-height device is down. We need to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again."

A debate is currently underway among the MotoGP manufacturers and Dorna over the future of ride-height devices.

In the past, some teams have disabled their holeshot/ride-height systems in wet conditions due to the lower braking forces (needed to reset the system) and lack of grip (rather than wheelies) taking over as the biggest limit for acceleration.

Despite the ride-height handicap, Binder wrestled his way to the front of a big pack of riders fighting over eighth place, which included his younger brother and MotoGP rookie Darryn, enjoying a brilliant ride on the RNF Yamaha.

"I was so happy when my brother came past!" Binder said. "I was sitting behind Marini, just trying to survive and get through the race without crashing. When this whole group arrived and started fighting,

"I thought, ‘OK, I’ve come this far and I’m not going to not get points!’ I tried my best with what I had. But it was so cool to see my brother. He was riding so well in these conditions. I am super proud of him. It’s really cool to see him in the top 10."

Despite the difficulties, Binder remains second in the world championship and has now closed to within just two points of early title leader Enea Bastianini (Ducati) who was only eleventh at Mandalika.