Local trio hoping to make international waves on two wheels
This year, three riders will represent South Africa in the world’s most spectacular motorsport arena.
The MotoGP circus is generally seen as the best show in international circuit racing, with the competitors rightly described as true gladiators.
The three riders from these shores will all carry the fervent hopes of all South Africans to, one day, fight for glory in the premier MotoGP category, where heroes like Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez currently reign.
Naturally, former Moto3 world champion Brad Binder will top the list of expectations, leading the Red Bull KTM AJO team in the Moto2 category.
Despite the impediments of a brand new, under-developed motorcycle and a recurring arm injury, Binder has relentlessly climbed through the MotoGP ranks this season, to eventually start scoring podium places near the season’s end.
Reigning South African Super600 champion Steven Odendaal will also take to the Moto2 arena next year, riding a NTS motorcycle, run by Bruno Performance, Geo Technology and the NTS T Pro Project.
Riding for the same equipe, Odendaal won the 2016 FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship.
He finished third in the same title chase with the same team this year.
Meanwhile, riding a Yamaha R6, he clinched the South Afri- can Super600 championship, despite missing four of the season’s 18 races.
Odendaal was the NTS team’s natural first rider choice, for stepping up to the world championship arena.
The pair will be joined overseas by Brad’s younger brother Darryn, now also a member of the official Red Bull KTM equipe that will feature in Moto3.
Though rather crash-prone, the younger Binder has shown some flashes of brilliance, and his progress with a proper works team will be watched with keen interest.
Three excellent reasons for not missing any of the 2019 MotoGP television broadcasts.