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- Brad Binder visited South Africa recently as part of a surprise for 14-year-old Oratilwe Phiri.
- Binder teamed with Checkers Sixty60 to surprise the teen at Red Star Raceway in Delmas.
- He believes that the real opportunities to make it to MotoGP are in Europe.
- GOOD NEWS DAY IS BACK! News24 celebrates the people restoring pride in our country. Read their stories here
South African MotoGP rider Brad Binder has been racing around the world and waving the national flag on six continents. And all the while, he's been inspiring young minds to take up the mantle and follow their dreams.
This has also been the case for Oratilwe Phiri, an up-and-coming rider who lives in Johannesburg's West Rand. Ora has big dreams: he wants to make it to MotoGP and continue the South African legacy set by Paddy Driver, Alan North, Jon Ekerold, and Binder.
Binder (Moto3, 2016) and Ekerold (350cc, 1980) have won championships in MotoGP.
But Ora, it seems, is already on his way to achieving big things in motorbike racing, as at just 14 years old, he already has 62 podium finishes to his name.
Surprise of his life
Ora's parents, Thabiso and Tselane, are perhaps his biggest supporters. Whether it's Thabiso helping to prep the bike for a race, or Tselane filming their son's on-track antics, it's a family effort to help Ora realise his dream of one day racing in MotoGP.
It was one of these videos that Checkers Sixty60 saw on social media that prompted them to create a truly spectacular moment for Ora to meet his hero Binder.
With his parents and the South African rider in on the surprise, Checkers Sixty60 arranged for Ora to be filmed at Red Star Raceway in Delmas as part of a feature campaign on him.
When Ora realised his hero was in attendance, all he could muster was: "Is that Brad Binder?!"
READ | New MotoGP season, same ambitions: SA's Brad Binder still burning to be world champion
"It was so amazing to meet the little guy, and to see the look on his face was priceless," Binder said to News24 Sport.
"For a child, you always look up to the guys on the big bikes and think, 'Wow, that's amazing!' So, to have had the opportunity to go and really meet with Ora was incredible. It was amazing to have been part of this feel-good story."
In an earlier interview with News24, Ora said: "I knew it was Brad because I know his bike and his style on the bike. Just like I know Marc Marquez and Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia.
"It was just so much fun, but I also got to see for myself just how really good Brad is at riding on the track."
Realising the MotoGP dream
Binder can relate to Ora's situation. Being a child racing on South African circuits, he also dreamed of racing in MotoGP. Fortunately, his parents realised that their son had a unique talent and made the difficult decision to move him to Europe. Years later, the sacrifices paid off, and the former Moto3 champion would have wanted it no other way.
"When I was a kid, I was exactly in Ora's shoes, where you're racing in South Africa, and you're doing well, and your dream is obviously to go overseas and be in MotoGP. My goal is also to become the MotoGP champion - just like his," the star said.
READ | Brad Binder overcomes stiff neck in Portuguese GP: 'I was suffering a lot'
He further explained that while South Africa is a great place to sharpen one's skills and race craft, the real opportunities are in Europe, and he credits the Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup.
"Now, going through my story and different scenarios in my career, I can say that the best way - not the easiest, but the best way - for a South African to make it to MotoGP is to move to Europe and sign up with the Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup," Binder said.
With this series, everything is paid for, and competitors only need to foot their flights and accommodation. Binder believes it is imperative for a South African to enter a world series to "ease" the path to MotoGP, and for young riders to wave the South African flag on the international stage.
