Interview: Darryn Binder embracing the new as well as the familiar in Moto2 for 2024

After competing on three different motorcycles and as many categories over the past three MotoGP -- Moto3 in 2021, MotoGP in 2022 and Moto2 in 2023 -- South African racer Darryn Binder is back with the Liqui-Moly Husqvarna GP Moto2 team for the 2024 season, set to launch on March 10 in Qatar, and looks forward to contesting a season with a familiar team and ensemble of technicians, engineers and crew members.

“I am beyond grateful for another opportunity with these guys," Binder says. "This season has been really difficult with a lot of injuries and no too many races. They see the potential we have together, which is why they’ve given me another chance.”

It might be the offseason, but Binder's wasting no time getting prepared.

“It's summertime here in South Africa now,” notes Binder. “I got back to South Africa on Thursday. It’s been a busy weekend. We did the Roof of Africa hard enduro. It was super-hard. It was two very long days, but overall it was pretty good. I managed to finish it and it was something to take off of the bucket list. I’m so keen to be home now. It’ll be good to be able to rest up a bit after a long and hard year with a lot of injuries.

The 25-year-old placed in the points eight times in the 2023 Moto2 season, his strongest results coming in the form of a sixth at Argentina, a seventh in India and a 10th-place finish in Japan. In a year punctuated by a seemingly endless string of injuries, Binder struggled at times, but he felt the team remained steadfast in his corner.

“This year was definitely a lot of ups and downs and unfortunately I just had too many injuries. I got super-unlucky a couple of times," he says. "It started off so good, though. I mean, throughout the year we were just trying to get back to where we started. Luckily, with the team, I really like working with them and I’m really happy with everything there and they seem to really like me. We’re going to give it another go next year, for sure.”

All things considered, Binder is completely pleased to be competing in the Moto2 classification, the division renowned for its fierce competition and nearly identical machinery.

“It’s crazy because all of the bikes are so similar with all the same engines and, like, 90 percent of us are on the same frame,”notes Binder of the 750cc inline-three cylinder-motivated Kalex he lines up upon every Sunday. “Things are just so tight, so when you are struggling, you are really struggling. Like at Valencia, I was riding a little bit injured and unfortunately I was one second off and had to start the race in 25th. When you’re just not able to make up a couple of tenths here and there, it makes a huge difference. It really is a tricky class, but at the same time, it’s awesome because with everything being so similar, you know you’ve got the correct equipment, you’ve just got to figure out how to make the most of it and it’s really awesome.”

Immediately after the final round of the season at Valencia, Binder and company took part in an official test to shake down the new WP suspension and Pirelli tires designated to the class come the start of the 2024 season.

“For next year, the whole Moto2 class is changing from Dunlop to Pirelli, so we did two days of testing on Monday and Wednesday in Valencia,” explains Binder. “Furthermore, the team is changing from Ohlins to WP suspension, so we jumped straight into testing on it on Monday with Pirelli tires and the WP and it was cool because it was very different. There was a lot more grip.

"The tires definitely don’t have the same endurance in them as the Dunlops. The Dunlops were super-consistent throughout, but there was much less grip. The Pirelli tires have a lot of grip in the beginning and then slowly but surely start to fade off. These tires are really going to change the way you approach the race because you’re going to have to manage the tire, so it was super interesting. At the same time it was good because with those tires they gave you a lot of feeling and lot of feedback on what they’re doing. I felt a lot safer.

"Overall, I’m super-happy with how things are going," he says. I mean ,I was still struggling physically a little bit, but overall it felt like I was able to be a lot more consistent at the test and the lap times were quite all right. Yeah, I’m super excited for next year.

“It’s awesome for me because in the last three years I’ve changed from three different bikes and three different teams, so to stay in the same team for a second year will be great. I’ll be coming back and knowing everybody and being familiar with them and knowing how everything works is really good. It gives you a little bit more comfort and confidence coming in.”

Key to improving his results will be avoiding the injuries that plagued him this year. They included vertebral fractures in Austria, as well as a broken hand suffered at the Circuit of The Americas and finger and ankle injuries sabotaging the South African in Malaysia. Binder explains how such a run of injuries can become a downward spiral of form.

“The injuries, that was unfortunately this year,” sums up Binder. “At the beginning of the season I broke my hand and we plated it, but the plate gave me so much trouble. Then I ended up hurting my back. When I finally came back, I was slowly but surely building up and unfortunately we had a brake issue in Malaysia where I had to jump off the bike and I hurt three of my fingers and my ankle really badly. I was really suffering at the last two rounds of the year."

“Right now I’ve been struggling a little bit with my fingers and my hands. Now I’ve got a little bit of a break to let them recover a bit and then I’ll just start to get into a proper training routine again and build up everything to be at my peak when we come back in the new year. Luckily I’ve got a couple of months to sort everything out, because obviously every time you’re injured you’re not training properly because you’re waiting to recover. Then before you even recover 100 percent, you’re back on the bike and your fitness isn’t there and you’re not feeling at your best, so it will be good to recover now and get everything back up to where it needs to be.

"Right from the beginning of the year, I ended up having to come back to racing after injuries. My goal next year will be to be in the top five, for sure. I need to be fighting up there for top five all the time and hopefully I can be fighting amongst the guys for the podium and for the win.”

Now back in South Africa where he’ll train and lounge around with his brother and MotoGP competitor Brad Binder, Darryn finds himself in a position to heal up and mentally prepare for the 2024 Moto2 World Championship.

“I think now that they’ve changed the tires and that for next year, everybody has got to find a new starting point, because Moto2 has been on those tires for so many years" he says. "I think the guys that have been in the class a really long time, they have it figured out, so I think now it’s going to turn things up a little bit and I’m hoping some of this can play into my favor. I’ll try to bring that across that for next year and make the most of it and be as strong as possible to fight for top position.”