Darren Binder became the latest member of the Binder racing family to get his name on a professional win sheet by taking a debut MotoAmerica Supersport victory at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday, pipping Tyler Scott by three-tenths of a second on the last lap. The younger brother of MotoGP race winner Brad Binder becomes the second member of the clan to stamp his mark in American road racing's premier support class.
Binder, riding the #53 Ducati Panigale V2, was not on pole. That honour went to Ty Scott on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R 750, with Josh Herrin and Kayla Yakov on the outside of row one. Scott launched perfectly and led into turn one, but Binder had already identified the braking zone where his Ducati's bottom-end torque paid dividends. The South African made up a row of places on lap one alone and was in the lead before turn 10. "Bender goes from fourth to first in one corner. What a move by the South African," the broadcast declared as Binder arrived at the apex with far more speed than anyone behind him could match.
It very nearly cost the championship its early leader. Herrin, running second early, made a "huge mistake" on his own description into the final corner, ran wide and tumbled to the back of the field. The Warhorse HSBK Ducati rider then began one of the runs of the afternoon, hauling himself back to the points and ultimately finishing fifth after a 7-second climb back to the lead pack.
Out front the story became a four-way duel. Blake Davis on the Track Racing Yamaha dropped past Scott into second, hauled in on Binder's rear wheel and then had to fight off Josh Hayes, who dragged the Real Steel Ducati Panigale V2 up to third with a textbook late-brake at the end of the back straight. Hayes's pace on the outside of the front row was the surprise of the day - the multi-time AMA Superbike champion has been fighting the bike in testing, but his 1:28 flat lap would have won any other Supersport race this season.
Hayes's recovery story ended in the gravel trap. The former champion tucked the front into turn one while chasing the lead group, throwing the bike through the gravel and handing third back to Davis and Yakov. "Give himself a little more gear," was the commentary analysis of what had gone wrong with the Real Steel set-up.
Davis then had to defend from Yakov on the Ray Haldicotti MOTO with Droplight machine. The Road Atlanta Ducati was geared slightly long for her and left her a fraction vulnerable on the drive out of turn seven, allowing Davis to nose ahead in the last two laps. Third went to Davis by a whisker over Yakov, who settled for fourth despite leading a chunk of the race.
Up front, the final-lap showdown was pure Supersport. Scott tried everything, including a sideways moment through the final corner complex. Binder held the inside line up the hill and under the bridge, and the South African pulled the trigger on the drive out of the last turn to win by a narrow three-tenths of a second.
The race leaves Scott two points clear of championship leader Josh Herrin in the title table thanks to the Daytona 200 veteran's 20 points from second. Binder sits two points further back. Kayla Yakov's fourth place puts her 11 points off the lead. It has taken him only two races to put a stamp on MotoAmerica Supersport, with a second race on Sunday already beckoning.
