The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo finish eighth and 26th, respectively.

The first day of the German GP for the Red Bull KTM Ajo saw Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza battle with tricky weather conditions. Rueda finished in eighth position, while Zurutuza was unable to improve his time after suffering a crash, placing 26th.

The morning Free Practice took place with delicate track conditions. The Sachsenring circuit still had some wet areas after the rain the previous day, so the Moto3 riders had to take extreme caution. Rueda made progress in a complicated session, where the wind also made riding difficult. Despite this, he had a very good feeling and, after a pit stop, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider moved into the top positions. After 19 laps, Rueda achieved the second best time, a 1:26.118 that put him just one tenth off the top spot. Zurutuza had his first experience of the demanding German circuit this Friday, and the rookie had a positive feeling on his opening laps. He completed a total of 19, his 1:27.611 on his 17th attempt placed him 21st.

In Practice 1, conditions improved significantly compared to the morning, although the wind was still present. Rueda rode alone in search of a good pace for Sunday’s race, and to get a better feeling. He ended the day well after setting his best time alone, increasing his confidence and clocking a 1:25.695 that gave him eighth position, finishing Friday in the provisional Q2 positions. Zurutuza faced Practice 1 with a clear strategy. He tried to improve his time over a single lap, as well as his overall pace. Unfortunately, he suffered a big crash after 11 laps, but thankfully escaped unhurt.The team worked intensely to repair his bike, although in the end Zurutuza was not able to go back out on track. His 1:28.186 placed him 26th, and on Saturday he will fight for a place in Q2.

The Moto3 qualifying sessions will take place on Saturday from 12:50 pm local time.

Results Practice 1
1. Stefano Nepa (KTM) 1:25.283
2. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 1:25.314 +0.031
3. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 1:25.347 +0.064
4. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 1:25.379 +0.096
5. Angel Piqueras (Honda) 1:25.398 +0.115
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:25.695 +0.412
26. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:28.186 +2.903

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Today was quite positive, and we improved lap by lap. On the first stint I had a very good feeling and on the second we focused on working for Sunday’s race. In the end we managed to set a good final lap and we finished eighth. It was very windy and that made our work difficult, but the pace we have when riding alone is good. We will continue working hard to be at the front tomorrow.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“The first day at Sachsenring is in the books I have seen that it is a very difficult circuit. The track conditions in the first practice session were not the best, but I liked it a lot. We have to continue working on our pace. We had a pretty bad crash at the beginning of Practice 1, and that prevented us from going back out later. Tomorrow we will have to do all the work that we couldn’t finish today, to fight to be higher up the order.”