Furious Leopard Racing stands by Binder ejection from garage after Moto3 clash
Darryn Binder's attempts to apologise to Moto3 title contender Dennis Foggia after clashing at Portimao leads to angry scenes in the pit box
Leopard Racing says it stands by mechanics who prevented Darryn Binder from accessing its garage in the wake of his controversial coming together with Dennis Foggia during the Algarve Moto3 race at Portimao.
Foggia’s Moto3 title hopes were ended in an abrupt manner when he was swiped out by Binder on the final lap of the penultimate round, the South African having entirely misjudged his braking and position while attempting to pass Sergio Garcia, whom also crashed in the melee.
The collision handed Pedro Acosta the Moto3 World Championship title but there was huge sympathy for Foggia, who had mounted a late season comeback to push Acosta all the way to the title.
Binder - who will controversially step up to the MotoGP World Championship next season - has been largely vilified in the paddock, with some calling for his forthcoming deal with RNF Yamaha to be annulled.
With emotions running high, an apologetic Binder attempted to access the Leopard Racing team box to apologise in person, but was muscled out of the garage by angry team members, a move the Luxembourg-flagged outfit defended.
"We didn't want Darryn Binder's presence at the box because it is obvious that after deciding Dennis Foggia's chances in the fight for the championship, it should be reasonable to think that moment wasn’t the right one.
"Darryn Binder has thrown away all the effort and hard work of our team this year. it wasn't just a race incident. Thanks for understanding it. The most important thing is that Dennis Foggia is fine after the crash."
Binder, meanwhile, has expressed his sincere apologies for the mistake.
"I just want to apologise," said Binder, who is moving to MotoGP in 2022. "I was trying to overtake [Sergio] Garcia, was braking and suddenly saw [Dennis] Foggia in front of me. I had nowhere to go.
"I’m really sorry to him, his team and Garcia for the crash. Obviously it’s the last thing I wanted to happen, especially with Dennis fighting for a championship title, and was definitely not my intention.
"Again I just want to apologise to everyone involved."
