but I think it's a special thing I
am able to do, and I'm so hon-
ored to be in that position now."
Despite missing the podium,
fourth
was a valiant result for
Binder in his first visit to the
Floridian high banks and first
competitive ride on a production
Ducati after a decade spent in
the MotoGP paddock on proto
-
type bikes.
Binder was 20
seconds up
on the extremely impressive
teenager, Alessandro Di Mario
(Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller
Die & Forming), who made it
three Rahal bikes in the top five
and four Ducatis in the top five,
the manufacturer's best-ever
performance at Daytona.
locked in a battle with Binder,
and she used all her guile to
place herself behind the South
African on the last lap, then
slingshot past on the run to the
line.
"It's insane!" Yaakov enthused
in the post-race interview. "I've
said it all weekend; I didn't think
this result was going to be pos
-
sible. I felt confident in myself
that I
could be up there, but we
were struggling so much with
the bike setup all weekend.
"In the race, I just tried to stay
calm, the team stayed calm,
and we were able to pull it off.
I'm just so happy to be here on
the podium and keep showing
women they can do it. I shied
away from that a bit in the past,
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 10 MARCH 10, 2026 P89
(Below) Herrin guns the Ducati away,
but MotoAmerica's cameraman, just
in front, has other ideas. Herrin ran
straight into him and looked to have
lost the race at that point.
