Moto2 & Moto3 Grids Continue to Take Shape as Gardner Joins KTM Ajo, Darryn Binder Moves to Petronas

The week between the two Misano rounds of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship have, apparently, been a perfect opportunity for some Moto2 and Moto3 teams to announce their riders for 2021.

In Moto2, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team have announced that Remy Gardner will be joining them from the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team for whom he has ridden in 2019 and 2020. Objectively, this is a good move for both parties. Gardner moves under the Red Bull KTM umbrella, probably gets paid reasonably well for the first time in his career and, more importantly, operates within a team capable of winning a World Championship for arguably the first time in his World Championship career.

For KTM, they receive another rider capable of winning them a Moto2 championship which, as yet, they have not achieved, as well as a rider with characteristics similar to those of Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder who have been so effective on the RC16 in MotoGP in the recent past. Both short- and long-term, this move could work out quite fruitfully for all involved. 

The confirmation of Gardner confirms one of either Tetsuta Nagashima or Jorge Martin will be leaving the Ajo Moto2 squad. Considering the long-standing rumours of Martin moving to Pramac, perhaps it is reasonable to expect that deal to be confirmed in the coming days, and that the SAG Moto2 pairing of 2019 will be reunited in 2021 inside KTM. 

Staying with the Austrian manufacturer, but dropping to the lightweight category, Red Bull KTM Tech 3 have confirmed that Ayumu Sasaki and Deniz Oncu will be staying with the team for 2021. It will be Sasaki’s fifth season in the lightweight class, having initially joined in 2017 with the Sepang team. The #71 is still without a podium in Grand Prix, but came close in Austria this year before receiving a long lap penalty. Similarly, Oncu shone at Austria in what is his debut season in the World Championship, before taking out Sasaki in the Styrian round when both were fighting in the leading group. Despite the inconsistencies shown this year, both the Tech 3 team and KTM clearly feel both riders have enough potential to continue their investment in each of their respective careers.

Elsewhere in Moto3, Darryn Binder has been confirmed to be moving to the Petronas Sprinta Racing team. Moving into the Petronas outfit is a good move for the South African, who now has a straight line to MotoGP, should he perform well enough to warrant it, since the Malaysian-owned squad runs in all three divisions of Grand Prix racing. Binder has a best finish of second place in the Moto3 World Championship, achieved in the 2019 Argentinian Grand Prix. The only other podium of the #40 came at the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix. 

Known for his aggressive, hard-braking style, Binder fits the KTM he currently rides for the CIP Green Power team well, with the RC250GP being strong on the front end. The Honda NSF250RW he will ride next year is known more for its ability to roll through corners, carrying high apex speed, and bringing that through to the corner exit. Whether Binder will be able to make the Honda work for his style, or to adjust his style to suit its more flowing preferences, remains to be seen. 

Binder’s confirmation in Petronas opens the door for John McPhee to be leaving the team, at least its Moto3 setup. The Malaysian squad is the first where McPhee has stayed more than one year and he is repaying them this year with a championship fight, as the Scot currently sits 14 points behind Albert Arenas in the Moto3 World Championship standings. It was assumed that a strong 2020 would see McPhee graduate to Moto2 with the team, however Jake Dixon has been improving in recent races, taking a career-best intermediate class finish of ninth in Styria, whilst Xavi Vierge has finished in the top six in the last three Moto2 races. 

The other option, of course, is that Khairul Idham Pawi will be leaving, although as the only Malaysian rider in Moto3 and the only rider from the nation to have won a Grand Prix (two, to be precise) it would be understandable if the team were favourable to the #89 over the #17.