Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder made history at MotorLand Aragon when he clinched the 2016 Moto3 World Championship, becoming the first South African rider to win a lightweight class title.
Binder’s championship was a highly inevitable outcome of this race, though there were permutations that would have seen it role over to the next round in Japan. Most of them involved Enea Bastianini and Jorge Navarro, and unfortunately for Binder it was these two who were fighting hard for the win.
Binder fought hard with Bastianini and Navarro, as well as Fabio Di Giannantonio all race, the quartet not giving each other an inch. As the race entered its thrilling climax, Binder had been shuffled to fourth whilst Bastianini had taken the lead. As it stood, he would not be crowned champion.
A daring move on the inside of both Gresini bikes at the final corner on the final lap saw Binder swoop into second, and this was enough for him to become World Champion, joining Jon Ekerold and Kork Ballington as South Africa’s only Grand Prix motorcycle World Champions.
Navarro won the race, his second of the year, whilst Bastianini completed the top three. Teammate Di Giannantonio was left disappointed in fourth, missing out on a return to the rostrum by the narrowest of margins.
Further behind, Joan Mir crossed the line an excellent fifth place having endured a difficult weekend. The Spaniard missed all of Friday’s running due to illness and failed to make any impression in qualifying, only managing 27th on his Leopard Honda. An extraordinary ride saw him ascend through the field to complete the top five.
Estrella Galicia Honda’s Aron Canet was a decent sixth ahead of the RBA pairing of Gabriel Rodrigo and Juanfran Guevara. Philipp Oettl looked set for a podium finish until a mistake at Turn 1 left him down in ninth. Sky Racing VR46’s Andrea Migno rounded out the top 10.
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