Speculation linking Darryn Binder to one of the available seats in the Petronas SRT Yamaha squad for the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season intensified this week after he tested with Yamaha at Brno for the first time.
The South African threw his leg over a Yamaha R1 superbike by way of helping him prepare for a vast Moto3 to MotoGP leap, where the difference in power between the classes represents a mammoth 200bhp (55bhp > 250+bhp).
With the R1 kicking out just under 200bhp, Binder took to the bike for a test outing in the Czech Republic in a move considered a not-too-thinly veiled hint at Yamaha’s imminent plans for the 23-year old.
“Yeah I got proposed the opportunity to go ride a Superbike in Brno, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go ride the big bike,” he told reporters during the British MotoGP weekend.
“It was my first time riding a bike with a lot of horsepower. Yeah, I really enjoyed it and it was super nice to ride at Brno again and yeah, I enjoyed it.
“Whatever he [my manager] has proposed for me I’ll have a good opportunity.”
With Petronas withdrawing title backing and PSRT disbanding in its current form, the team is expected to be known as WithU Yamaha in 2022 as part of the deal to bring Binder into the team from Petronas Sprinta Racing in Moto3.
He is the younger brother of KTM Factory rider and two-time MotoGP race winner Brad Binder.
