On the eve of the 2023 MotoGP, Checkers Sixty60 has partnered with South Africa’s fastest man on two wheels, Grand Prix motorcycle racer Brad Binder, to deliver a dream to up-and-coming young biker, Oratilwe Phiri.

Ora, as he is fondly known, is a talented 14-year-old South African superbike racer from the West Rand in Gauteng, who aspires to be a MotoGP world champion. With more than 62 podiums already achieved, he is well on his way. He did, however, have one more dream – and that is to meet his hero, Brad Binder.

One of only three South Africans to ever hold the title of motorcycle grand prix world champion, 2016 Moto3 GP world champ Brad Binder (27) also started out in this sport at a very young age. First taking to the track in karts, he claimed the title of national champion at the age of eight. Two years later he moved on to two wheels and hasn’t looked back. He is currently in his ninth season as part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team and recognised as one of the most determined and efficient racers on the MotoGP grid.

When Brad heard about Ora’s dream, he was all fired up to pay it forward to the next generation of racers.

Working closely with Ora’s parents, the young fan was brought to the Red Star Raceway in Delmas under the guise of a media interview. At the right moment, Brad, escorted by a team of Sixty60 drivers, made his way down the track.

“Ora had no idea I was there, and it was incredibly humbling to witness his surprise. I look forward to seeing this young man make his name locally, and globally, in years to come,” commented Brad.

“Sixty60 delivers groceries to tens of thousands of customers every day. For Ora, we wanted to deliver a moment of magic. His story and his keen ambition certainly resonate with our business, as we, too, strive for standout performance,” says Neil Schreuder, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer for the Shoprite Group.

“We look forward to witnessing Ora’s journey ahead and we’d like to wish Brad all the best with the upcoming MotoGP season.”

With delivery in 60 minutes, at a fee of just R35, Checkers Sixty60 is the country’s number one on-demand grocery delivery service. The app has been downloaded more than 3.1 million times and the service now delivers in more than 400 locations nationally.

Published by: https://bradbinder33.com/

National Hard Enduro Championship

The heat was on this weekend as the season Hard Enduro National Championship had its opening leg take place in Heidelberg. Not only was the podium hotly contested the heat combined with an intensely challenging route made for tough going but it was Travis Teasdale from Husqvarna Racing that nearly triumphed but eventually had to succumb and settle for second to the sheer class of Wade Young.
 
Teasdale mentioned he had to settle a few niggles in the early stages of the event but settled and began to push from the second lap. The heat was a major factor and tested even the toughest and fittest riders to the maximum. “I’m content with second but would obviously have liked to be able to fight harder in that first lap that set me back quite a bit but it is a good start to the season and I’m happy with my fitness and the new bike” Teasdale commented after his debut race for Husqvarna Racing.
 
Teasdale’s team mate Heinrich Aust had a mare of a day not being able to come to grips with the terrain. “This track had a bit of everything ranging from hardcore uphill, riverbeds, gullies and gut wrenching downhill which made for an extreme day out as it says on the label” Aust commented. He mentioned he took a lot of learnings out of the event and had to settle for P7, but already has his eyes set on the next event now the season is open.

Published by:  Grant Frerichs

Photography by:  Sage Lee Voges – ZCMC Media

Two days of intense testing work brought the 2023 MotoGP pre-season to a conclusion for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at the Algarve International Circuit. Brad Binder and teammate Jack Miller sifted through solutions for the settings of their KTM RC16s both for the long Grand Prix year ahead and for the first round of the series at the same circuit in a fortnight’s time. Brad ended the weekend 9th fastest.

MotoGP teams left the heat of Malaysia last month to reassemble and bask in the sunshine of the Algarve for the second and last appointment in preparation for 2023. The two-day session allowed the Red Bull KTM works squad to drill through solutions and options to be ready for the 21-race championship (and brand new Sprint format) as well as look towards optimum settings for the Grande Premio de Portugal at the same fast and technical circuit at the end of March.

Brad and teammate Jack were given a second opportunity to give their feedback on the potential of the RC16s around the 15 corner and 4.5 km layout in southern Portugal. The climate was steady and ideal for testing duties, even if the undulations of the track and diversity of the curves means it is a unique setting for bike behaviour and competitiveness.

Brad sat in P6 at one stage and ended the second day with the 9th fastest circulation just half a second from P1 and close to the lap record. The South African was reaching for rear grip but noted an improvement on Sunday.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing now have a few precious days back at the race workshop in Munderfing to condense the rest of the data accumulated in Portugal before the whole effort returns to the Algarve for the first real race action of ’23 on March 25-26.

Brad Binder:

“We made a good step forward today. We had to re-think things last night because I wasn’t that happy with what we were doing: the team did a great job to make me more comfortable on the bike and I could push a bit harder. We are closer to where we need to be. The time attack went better than I expected. There is definitely a step we can still make before the race but I think we are more or less ready to go into the season.”

Published by: https://bradbinder33.com

National Hard Enduro Championship

Hard Enduro National Championship season is officially underway and the Brother Leader Tread KTM team got their first taste of the podium when Will Slater managed to push through what was widely described as a hectically hot and harsh route. Slater’s P3 is a strong position for the team who are always in the hunt for glory.
 
When asked about his day Slater did not mince his words: “Rocks, heat and some hell, this was my first National with the KTM family and the fact I managed to put the KTM on the podium makes me happy.” He went on to say: “Wade and Travis were here today so we had our work cut out for us and we knew that from the start on top of that the track was super demanding as always.” “It was generally a good tough day and I was in the lead initially but I just faded off towards the end of the race which isn’t like me” he said and continued “we will work on that during the weeks to come but all in all happy with my performance.”
 
His team mates Dylan Jonker and Matthew Stevens had their challenges and respectively finished P9 and P12. Jonker indicated his main goal for the day was to put some points on the board which he succeeded in. Both riders learnt a lot from their mistakes and will be taking the learnings into the next round and continue to improve as the season progresses.

Published by:  Grant Frerichs

Photography by:  Sage Lee Voges (ZCMC Media)