A HARSH REALITY
CRASHING: A DANGEROUS, BUT COMMON OCCURANCE SA’s Binder says the margin for error has become so small in the fast-paced world of motorsport.
Though he admits there is an inherent sense of danger involved, following another top-fl ight motor racing scare at the weekend, South African twowheel star Brad Binder says he tries not to allow such fears to hinder him on the track.
The international motor racing community was stunned at the weekend after a near-fatal crash reminded fans how close the participants are to the edge every time they compete.
French driver Romain Grosjean narrowly escaped a horror
crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix after his Haas car was split in two and caught fire, with the impact reportedly measured at a force of 53G.
It was the latest incident in a sport which has involved more death and tragedy than its stakeholders might like to admit.
And super fast motorobikes are no less dangerous than super fast cars.
In August, during the Austrian MotoGP race, Franco Morbidelli lost control approaching a bend and his bike sliced across the track between Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, narrowly avoiding hitting both men at close to 320km/h.
Binder was right behind Johann Zarco when the Frenchman’s Ducati collided with Morbidelli’s Yamaha.
“It’s one of the realities of the sport. The faster we go, and the faster the cars and bikes are getting, the limit becomes so much smaller,” said Binder, who won
his first MotoGP race at Brno this season.
“I was watching the Formula One and that was insane. He (Grosjean) was so lucky to have walked away and to be ok. That’s all you can hope for at the end of the day.”
No stranger to crashes himself, Binder required surgery after breaking his left arm in multiple places during a practice session in Valencia in late 2016.
“You’re going to get injuries, and there are going to be crashes and what not, but nowadays the tracks are a lot safer and the (medical and safety) staff on hand are so good that it makes things a lot safer,” said the Red Bull KTM rider.
“But of course there’s always that element that things can go wrong, and it’s a reality that’s there, but you just try keep it as far down in your mind as possible, otherwise it definitely would make the job a lot harder.”
Sydney – James O’Connor ( left) has declared himself fit to put on the Australia number 10 shirt again in the last match of the Tri-Nations against Argentina this coming weekend after missing the rest of the tournament with knee and foot injuries.
The Wallabies are unlikely to get the 101 points they need to win the Tri-Nations at Western Sydney Stadium on Saturday but O’Connor said he was delighted to be available to try help Australia finish the season on a high.
“We got there in the end, it’s been a little bit frustrating but I’ve learned from experience that you can’t force things,” he said yesterday.
“I’m in a position now where I feel I can do the job.”
The 30-year-old’s return would bring welcome specialist experience in the playmaker role after the versatile Reece Hodge filled in at flyhalf for the last two matches.
While Hodge steered the Wallabies to a 24-22 win over the All Blacks in Brisbane, coach Dave Rennie was left fuming after poor game management let Argentina recover from 15-6 down to draw 15-15 in Australia’s last outing.
“Hodgy’s done a great job and he plays in every position.I’m not a selector but I think he definitely deserves to be out on the field somewhere,” said O’Connor. –