BINDER SIGNED UP
Marc Marquez isn't alone in signing
for the long-term. KTM showed
how highly it values Brad Binder by
announcing the South African had
signed a monster three-year con-
tract extension that keeps him with
the Austrian factory until the end
of 2024. While his season hasn't
gone entirely to plan, Binder has
still scored brilliant against-the-odds
finishes at the Doha and Portu-
guese GPs. Add to that his history
with KTM—a Moto3 World title in
2016, the factory's first MotoGP win
last year, and a total of 16 wins in
all classes—and it is clear why they
added an extra two years to his cur-
rent deal.
MARC AND JACK:
A LOVE STORY
Qualifying was, once again, lit up by
the tactics of Marc Marquez. Like
Mugello, Honda's RC213V has been
uncompetitive around the Circuit
of Barcelona. That coupled with
Marquez's physical state meant he
was, once again, reliant on find-
ing a tow during the Q1 session. In
Mugello, he used the tow of Mav-
erick Vinales. On this occasion, he
found Jack Miller. As he prepared
to tuck in behind the Ducati, Miller
motioned with his thumb and middle
finger in Marquez's direction, as if
to say, 'How much will you pay?'
Marquez appreciated the gesture.
"Yesterday we were joking in the
Clinica Mobile with Miller. I was
15th place and he said to me, 'How
much will you pay me?' And today
was the time! In Qualifying 1 all of
the riders—me, Pol—we were wait-
ing for somebody and this was the
fastest guy—Miller. We went behind
Briefly...
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 23 JUNE 8, 2021 P77
(Above) Quartararo's race was a perplexing one, but the talking
point was his suit and the fact that he was not black flagged.
(Below) It's been a miserable season for Valentino Rossi, with
another crash in Spain compounding the pain.