'I pushed from beginning to end' - Brad Binder stoked with 2022 Qatar MotoGP podium finish

 • The 2022 MotoGP season kicked off in Qatar on Sunday.  • South Africa's Brad Binder finished second, securing the best result for the KTM team at Qatar. • Younger brother Darryn Binder finished his first MotoGP race in 16th place.

The 2022 MotoGP season kicked off at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Sunday (6 March), and South African Brad Binder delivered an excellent performance to claim second position. Now, the local hero is looking to bag a few more podiums this season.

Binder qualified 7th on Saturday afternoon, which is one of his best qualifying performances in his MotoGP career to date.

Binder took advantage of his third-row start and worked his way up to third position in the first few corners. Binder subsequently took second place from Marc Marquez on lap six.

Binder remained unchallenged in second place behind Pol Espargaro on the Repsol Honda until lap 14 when Ducati rider Enea Bastianini overtook him. 

Race leader Pol Espargaro ran wide while battling with Enea Bastianini, handing second place to Brad Binder with four laps to go. Binder managed to keep Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez at bay to cross the line in second position.

Binder was one of the only front runners to race on the medium front and medium rear tyre. This allowed him to maintain his consistent pace and actually gain on the eventual race winner in the closing stages. 

After the race, the ecstatic KTM rider said: "It was a great day; actually, all weekend was great. To top the timesheets in FP1 on Friday was a bit of a shock. So I knew we were at a really good level. That being said, we had some issues over the weekend, but honestly, I felt so good and had so much confidence in the bike from beginning to end."

The Qatar circuit has