Brad Binder: I don't know when I last went a season without a win…

The South African, who took seven wins on his way to the 2016 Moto3 title, claimed eight victories in Moto2 during 2018 and 2019 before making history for KTM with its first MotoGP triumph at Brno 2020.

Binder kept his victory run alive with a brave slicks-in-the-rain win at the Red Bull Ring last season, then began this year with second place in Qatar.

The #33 repeated that feat at Motegi and starts the final rounds holding sixth in the world championship.

Team-mate Miguel Oliveira is two places behind in the standings, but has taken two wet weather wins, in Indonesia and then last time out in Thailand.

“I don't know when I last went a season without a win,” Binder said at Phillip Island on Thursday. “It's been a while and I don't plan on changing that!”

Off the calendar since 2019 due to Covid restrictions, Phillip Island will be a new event for Binder on a MotoGP bike.

“I'm really, really excited to get started here,” he said. “It's my first time here on the MotoGP bike, but it's a track that over the years I've always really enjoyed and been pretty good at.

“I think this place is going to be way more fun on a big bike. It was already fast, but it's going to be a little bit extra. So I’m looking forward to it. Let's hope for a bit of dry weather.”

Rarely in the top six for much of the season, the combined efforts of Binder and Oliveira have seen the top RC16 finish 4th,2nd and 1st at the last three rounds.

“I'm happy with the way things went. Aragon was good, Japan was good. The last race, Miguel killed it. He did a great job. So yeah, it's been fantastic for KTM in the last three for sure. But we just need to take what we have learned and try and keep the momentum going.

“We haven't been here since 2019 and our bike has changed a lot since then for sure. But honestly, from where I see our strong points, we seem to be pretty good in the fast and flowing stuff.

“I expect this to be a good track for us.”

Binder on Espargaro clash: 'It's racing'

Binder's hopes of joining Oliveira on the Buriram podium ended when he was bumped off track by Aleix Espargaro early in the race, an incident that saw the Aprilia title contender receive a long lap penalty.

“I turned into the corner, got bumped and thought it was done. So I turned in again and I got bumped again!” Binder smiled. “So I just had to sit up because you can't turn on the blue paint, on the outside of the track, because it’s slippery obviously, especially in the wet.

“It is what it is. It's racing at the end of the day. It's so difficult in those conditions because there's a ton of spray. The first laps, no one really knows where the braking marker is yet and things like that can happen.”

Binder went on to finish in tenth after passing both Franco Morbidelli and Espargaro on the final lap.