Jose Antonio Rueda places eighth, while Xabi Zurutuza is sixteenth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 faced a difficult race at Le Mans on Sunday. Jose Antonio Rueda, who started from the front row, remained in the front group and finished in eighth position. Xabi Zurutuza fought for the points and moved up the order, crossing the line in sixteenth.

Rueda started the French Grand Prix race from the front row of the grid. The Spanish rider tried to maintain the position to fight for the podium, although the front group consisting of many rivals ran a high pace. Rueda did not have the best feeling and began to fall down the order, but remained in the Top 10 and fighting. On the final laps the group broke up, and he took the chequered flag in eighth position.

Zurutuza lost some positions off the line and was forced to make a comeback from the start. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who had a very good feeling in Le Mans since the start of the Grand Prix weekend, was able to recover from the situation and tried to make back positions lap after lap. Unfortunately, he received a long lap penalty for exceeding the track limits after contact with another rider, reducing his chances of reaching better positions. On the closing laps the Moto3 rookie pushed as hard as possible, but came in sixteenth.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders return to Spain to compete in the next event, the Catalan Grand Prix, from May 24-26th.

Results Race
1. David Alonso (CFMoto) 34:00.058
2. Daniel Holgado (GasGas) +0.105
3. Collin Vijer (Husqvarna) +0.242
4. Joel Esteban (CFMoto) +0.476
5. Ivan Ortola (KTM) +0.612
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1.035
16. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +13.275

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2024
1. Daniel Holgado (GasGas) 94 points
2. David Alonso (CFMoto) 93 points
3. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 62 points
4. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 50 points
5. Joel Kelso (KTM) 42 points
12. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 28 points
22. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 3 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2024
1. CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team – 126 points
2. Red Bull GasGas Tech3 – 121 points
3. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP – 92 points
4. MT Helmets MSI – 85 points
5. BOE Motorsports – 80 points
8. Red Bull KTM Ajo – 34 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“The weekend in Moto3 was positive for us. We had Jose Antonio back on track after his health problems from recent races. The most important was to get him back healthy. He felt quite strong before the race, but he wasn’t strong enough to fight with the front and to pass other riders. We need to analyse where we can improve for the next few races. Xabi had a solid race but, unfortunately, another rider took him off the track in the chicane and he received a long lap penalty that prevented him fighting for a better position. We are looking forward to the next race at Montmelo, we feel that both riders can have a good pace during the whole weekend and get a good result there.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“At the beginning of the race it was difficult for me to overtake and I lost several positions, although I tried to defend my spot and hold on as much as possible to the front group. It was very difficult to overtake and I kept losing positions, which was a bit frustrating. We take away the positives, and we achieved some very important points after missing two races. It is not the result I would have liked, but given the context and with this being a circuit that has always been difficult for me, I am happy. We will continue to push in the coming races to get back to the top, fighting for podiums and victories.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“It was a bit of a crazy race, because when I got a good position I was given a long lap penalty, because another rider knocked me off track and I had to take a shortcut from Turn 3 to 4. But in general it has been a very positive weekend, where we have taken a very big step forward. We have to continue in this way for Barcelona, since it is a circuit that I know and like a lot.”