All hail Brad Binder – SA’s new world champion

some traffic, and hit the front with 12 laps to go.

But in a see-sawing battle with Bastianini, Spaniard Jorge Navarro and Italian Fabio di Giannantonio, Binder exchanged the lead throughout the last 10 laps with his main rivals. Entering the final lap in fourth position, Binder quickly moved into third, but looked like he wasn’t going to get the second spot that he needed. However, the South African – on a KTM bike – waited until the second-last corner before making a superb move that saw him take the lead with the final corner coming up.

But Navarro, on a Honda, moved into Binder’s slipstream on the home straight to take the lead and win the race. Binder, though, had done enough and raised his arms before crossing the line to claim the 20 points he required for the title.

It capped a magnificent season for the youngster, who has won five out of the 14 races so far this year, and with four second places and two third places has built up an unassailable 249 points, 106 ahead of Navarro in second position with a maximum of 100 points up for grabs in the last four events.

Binder becomes the first South African motor racing world champion since Jon Ekerold won the 350cc motorcycling world title in 1980. The other South African to win a motorcycling championship is Kork Ballington, who won consecutive 350cc titles in 1978 and 1979. Jody Scheckter won the Formula One championship in 1979.

Binder, who has been based in Spain over the last few years, was watched by his parents Trevor and Sharon in the stands, and he was in tears.

“I don’t know, it doesn’t feel real yet,” said an emotional Binder. “The race was tough, I battled a lot. But it came down to the final lap and I knew where I had to be, and I gave it a try – I was just so terrible in the last corner! Today we lost the battle, but we won the war. I’m really, really happy and I can’t wait for the rest of the season.”

In the main race, Honda’s Marc Marquez ended MotoGP’s streak of eight different winners, winning in a time of 41:57.678.