Jose Antonio Rueda will start the race from the fourth row, with Xabi Zurutuza on the eighth row.

Qualifying sessions for the San Marino Grand Prix did not go as expected for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders, despite their good feeling. Jose Antonio Rueda fought until the end for a good position on the grid, although he had his hot lap stifled and finished twelfth. Xabi Zurutuza would not go into Q2, and will start from 22nd.

Practice 2 saw the riders improve their times quickly to try to secure a place in Q2. Rueda felt good and was very consistent and challenged for the top spot, eventually clocking his best time on his penultimate lap. His 1:40.396 put him second, just 2 tenths behind the leader. Zurutuza was part of a very tight qualifying session in the fight for the Top 14. Good track conditions allowed him to substantially improve his times, although in the end he was unable to make the cut and was forced to go through Q1, as his 1:41.990 put him 23rd. 

In qualifying, the increase in temperatures made riding difficult, and the lower grip levels did not allow the pair to improve on their times from the morning. Zurutuza upped his pace in search of a place in the Top 4, and after a pit stop made another push, but he eventually took the eighth best time with his 1:42.243. He will be 22nd on the grid. In Q2, Rueda battled until the end in search of a lap that would put him high up the order, but temperatures and the increase in wind made it difficult to ride. Unfortunately, a crash by another rider in the final minute prevented him from lowering his time, and his 1:41.293 placed him in 12th.

The Moto3 San Marino Grand Prix will start at 11:00am local time on Sunday.

Results Qualifying
1. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 1:40.505
2. Luca Lunetta (Honda) 1:40.922 +0.417
3. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 1:40.940 +0.435
4. Angel Piqueras (Honda) 1:40.950 +0.445
5. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 1:40.959 +0.454
12. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:41.293 +0.788
22. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.243 +0.771 *Q1 Time

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Qualifying didn’t go as we expected, because it was a bit tricky for me. This afternoon the wind picked up a bit and I noticed it quite a lot. On my flying lap I had a little scare that made me lose a few important tenths, although I managed to lower my time. On the second flying lap I saw the yellow flag and that cut us off. Our pace in general is very good. Everything is very tight. Tomorrow we will have a very fast race and we will have to be ready to fight, but I think we can be up there.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“The objective today was to get through to Q2 and we weren’t able to do it. The track temperature was very high and the conditions were tough, as the grip level had dropped a lot compared to Practice 2 this morning. Tomorrow we will have to fight and the objective is to try to climb as many positions as possible. Today we will work to prepare the bike as best as possible for the race -and for the next weekend here as well.”