The Spanish rider is once again one of the fastest, while Xabi Zurutuza finishes 21st.

The San Marino Grand Prix started on Friday at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, for Red Bull KTM Ajo. Jose Antonio Rueda occupied second  place, finishing just thousandths of a second off the top spot in both sessions, whilst Xabi Zurutuza was 21st overall.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo had their first contact with the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli during FP1, and worked to find a good set-up for the weekend. Rueda used the session to try out new setups for the weekend. Following a pit stop, he was back amongst the top positions, and after 14 laps, Rueda set his best time on his final attempt: A 1:41.273 that put him in second position, just +0.098 behind the pace setter. Zurutuza also completed a positive Free Practice. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie continued to make progress, picking up from the previous weekend, and felt increasingly comfortable. After maintaining a good pace, Zurutuza set his best time on his last lap, and his 1:43.203 placed him 23rd.

In the afternoon session, an increase in temperatures helped the riders to quickly lower their times. Rueda was, once again, one of the fastest, as he continued to focus on putting together the best possible race on Sunday. After 15 laps, Rueda was second again, with a time of 1:40.985 and, once again, just a few thousandths of a second off the top spot. Zurutuza took a big step forward compared to the morning, lapping a second faster than in Free Practice. He tried to get into the Q2 positions, but ultimately finished 21st with a time of 1:42.182, achieved on his penultimate lap.

Moto2 qualifying will take place on Saturday from 12:50 pm local time.

Results Practice 1
1. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) 1:40.909
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.985 +0.076
3. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 1:41.096 +0.187
4. Angel Piqueras (Honda) 1:41.113 +0.204
5. Luca Lunetta (Honda) 1:41.198 +0.289
21. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.182 +1.273

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy with how today went. We were able to try a lot of things and we’ve found the way forward for this weekend. Sundays are still difficult for us, so that’s what we’re working on the most. We’ve found a good feeling with the bike so I’m very happy. We’re still working to stay at the top and try to be up there in qualifying tomorrow, since we’re all very close here because it’s a small circuit.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“We’re done with the first day at Misano. It’s been a pretty productive day. From Free Practice to P1 we managed to improve in many aspects, especially in terms of our feeling. The gap to the leader has been greatly reduced and we’re looking forward to Practice 2 tomorrow to try to get through to Q2, which is the main objective for tomorrow.”