Jose Antonio Rueda retires when fighting for victory, while Xabi Zurutuza places sixteenth.

The German Grand Prix did not end as hoped for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo. Jose Antonio Rueda battled for the win in a outstanding performance but a crash with two laps remaining ended his chances of returning to the podium. Xabi Zurutuza climbed up the order to place just outside the points after being sixteenth.

Rueda started the Moto3 race from the second row of the grid. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider maintained a spot in the front group and, after four laps, moved into third position. Amidst constant changes of positions and an intense fight for the Top 3, he dropped down to sixth and then rose to second, keeping the race leader in his sights and fighting for his first victory in the category. With only two laps remaining, a mechanical issue denied him the chance of his first win in the class.

Zurutuza faced a difficult race at the Sachsenring. The Moto3 rookie, who started from seventeenth place, lost some positions off the line, although he was able to recover and in the first laps he made up positions. Zurutuza tried to recover as many positions as possible before the long lap penalty received on Saturday. After completing them, Zurutuza tried to recover once again and once more made up positions, keeping a solid pace race. In the end, the young Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was just outside the points, finishing sixteenth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo will return to action in three weeks, for the BritishGP at Silverstone.

Results Race
1. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 33:02.956
2. Taiyo Furusato (Honda) +0.187
3. Ivan Ortola (KTM) +0.339
4. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) +2.362
5. Angel Piqueras (Honda) +2.438
16. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +38.789
DNF. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2024
1. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 179 points
2. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 121 points
3. Daniel Holgado (GasGas) 120 points
4. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 115 points
5. David Muñoz (KTM) 84 points
9. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 58 points
22. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 3 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2024
1. CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team – 217 points
2. MT Helmets MSI – 193 points
3. Red Bull GasGas Tech3 –164 points
4. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP – 153 points
5. BOE Motorsports – 139 points
7. Red Bull KTM Ajo – 64 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“Rueda has improved more and more with his riding style in practice and in the race. He was one of the best riders this weekend and also in the previous races. Unfortunately he crashed on the last few laps due to a technical issue, but we are glad to see that he is ok. We can be confident and we know that we can fight for the podium -and even the victory- in the next few races. Xabi faced a new track and Sachsenring is a special one. His race was solid despite the two long laps, as many other riders received the same penalty. He was able to reduce the gap and he was close to the points, so we will keep this progress up for the races after the summer break.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“In today’s race we made a very good start and we managed to be at the front from the beginning, fighting for the Top 3. I am very happy overall, since I think I could have won or at least been on the podium. With two laps to go I had technical problems with the bike and I couldn’t finish the race. I feel good, but we leave here with a bittersweet taste because it was very bad luck. That’s racing.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“It has been a Grand Prix full of ups and downs, where we have learned from the mistakes made and for which I have been penalised. These mistakes hurt me in the race, so I have to learn from them to be able to achieve better results. In the race we tried to push as hard as possible in a group of 5/6 riders. We have tried to find our rhythm. It is not the position we would have liked, but we have to keep learning and little by little we will improve.”