Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza go to Mugello to complete the first double header of the year.

Red Bull KTM Ajo have moved on to Italy for the latest round of the Moto3 World Championship, with riders Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza taking on the challenge of a technical track well known to their rivals. The Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello hosts the action, just a week on from the previous Grand Prix.

Rueda was on the rostrum at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya in a repeat of his showing in 2023, giving him a further boost heading to Mugello. The Spaniard is aware of the technical difficulty of the Italian track, although he feels ready for the challenge as he looks to close the gap on those ahead of him in the standings. He is currently sixth overall, with 44 points.

Zurutuza faces his fifth race with great enthusiasm after fighting for the points at the Catalan Grand Prix, where he was nineteenth. Despite being unfamiliar with Mugello, he carries momentum into this weekend after his showing in Barcelona. As the Moto3 rookie continues to learn the ropes in the class, he lies 22nd in the overall standings with 3 points.

Red Bull KTM Ajo are seventh in the Team standings with 50 points. In 2022 the team were on the podium at Mugello thanks to Deniz Öncü’s second position, while in 2021 Jaume Masia was second. The Moto3 Italian Grand Prix race takes place on Sunday at 11:00 am local time.

Circuit information – Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
Length: 5.245 m / 3.259 miles
Width: 14 m / 45.93 ft.
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 9
Longest straight: 1.141 m / 0.709 miles
Constructed: 1974

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m really looking forward to Mugello, especially as last year it was very difficult for us. I think it is a circuit where we are good, but we were lacking a little something in 2023. It is a very long track, there will be a lot of fighting at the front and I think it will be a similar race to what we saw at Montmeló. We will have to fight with everything we have and we will try to at least match the result from last weekend.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“We are heading to Mugello, a circuit I have never been to before. I think it is good to have two races in a row, since you carry over your feeling from one race to the next. It is a fairly long circuit and completely unknown to me. We have the same expectations as always to continue learning and we will continue working in the same way.”