Darryn Binder like Miller: a test at Brno with Yamaha to jump straight into MotoGP

The right time to take a real gamble comes just when the situation becomes particularly complicated. This must have gone through the minds of Razlan Razali, Johan Stigefelt and Wilco Zeelenberg when they decided to gamble on Darryn Binder for 2022. The South African, brother of Brad who just triumphed in Austria with KTM, is in fact the number one choice to occupy one of the Yamaha M1 seats that the Sepang Racing Team will have at its disposal. We can no longer define it as Team Petronas, given the announcement of the separation from its generous sponsor.

Darryn Binder, as reported by our colleagues at Motorsport.com, will carry out a test on a Yamaha R1 at the Brno track, after having won a sort of internal ballot with the other three riders lined up by the team from Moto2 and Moto3. In 2022 both teams will be withdrawn, to concentrate all efforts on MotoGP and paying the price will be Dixon, Vierge and McPhee. Binder, on the other hand, seems to have been chosen to attempt a gamble already made by Honda with Jack Miller in 2015, when the Australian was launched from Moto3 into the top class, a bet at the time wanted by Livio Suppo.

Binder is not doing too bad at all in Moto3, he is quite notorious for his very aggressive riding and for being one of the toughest riders in close combat. Now he will have the chance to show his potential on high-powered bikes, with the more than concrete possibility of finding himself catapulted into the seat of an M1 in 2022. For the team's second M1, many paths remain open and one would lead to Dixon, currently racing in Moto2 and with a British passport that is literally worth gold for Dorna after Crutchlow's retirement.

Danilo Petrucci also admitted having had contact with the team and given the recent developments, this chance for Petrux cannot be excluded. The team, under the Petronas banner, had the precise task of launching young talents. Now, however, after losing the Malaysian sponsor, it will have to recreate its own identity and perhaps having a 'strong' name in the rider line-up would be important to attract potential new partners.