Brad gets nod from local journos
RECENTLY-crowned Moto3 World Champion Brad Binder has been voted South Africa’s Motor Sportsman of the Year.
The Bridgestone-sponsored award was handed out by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists at a function in Johannesburg last week.
Binder (21) was recognised for his dominant performance on his Red Bull KTM last season, which saw him becoming the first South African to win a motorcycle world championship since Jon Ekerold in 1981.
This year Binder moves up to the Moto2 class, the final stepping stone towards the premier MotoGP category which is contested by the likes of superstars Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez.
Zwartkops Raceway owner Peter du Toit was presented with the 2016 Colin Watling Award for extraordinary contributions behind the scenes of South African Motorsport.
Six other motor sportsmen were awarded new awards in their various categories for the first time this year:
Dakar hero Joey Evans, who was temporarily paralysed in a race crash ten years ago and fought back to accomplish the dream of finishing Dakar 2017 on his KTM, took the Off Track Rider of the Year award;
Double SA Rally and Cross Country Champion Leeroy Poulter took the Off Track Driver of the Year prize;
Binder was also awarded the Circuit Rider of the Year Award;
European Audi Sport TT Cup racer Sheldon van der Linde, who won four races - more than any of his TT Cup rivals in 2016 - took the Circuit Driver of the Year Award;
Rotax World Mini Max Karting Champion, Jayden Els (aged 12) took the Junior Driver of the Year prize;
KTM 390 Cup winner at home and in the UK, Brandon Staffen (aged 15), took Junior Rider honours.
“Brad thanks Bridgestone, the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists and its members for this great honour and he congratulates all of tonight’s winners and nominees for their contributions to motorsport while flying the South African flag,” Binder’s longtime advisor, confidant and sponsor Rob Portman said on accepting the Bridgestone SA / SAGMJ Motor Sportsman of the Year on Brad’s behalf.
”Brad is an exceptional talent who comes from a tremendous family with a tremendous story to tell - his ultimate goal is to win the MotoGP World Championship for him, for his family and for South Africa and this award will only help heighten his resolve to pull it off.”