Jose Antonio Rueda finishes nineteenth, while Xabi Zurutuza is eighteenth.

The first day of the Australian Grand Prix presented a difficult scenario for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders. After a wet Free Practice with tricky riding conditions, Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza continued their work in the afternoon, finishing nineteenth and eighteenth respectively.

Water accumulated on the track forced the riders to take extra precautions to avoid making mistakes. Rueda made steady progress amidst the tricky conditions. After 16 laps, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was only able to set the 20th fastest time, with a 1:47.519 on his penultimate lap. Zurutuza had a difficult start at the Australian circuit. The Moto3 rookie suffered a crash early on, although after a stop in the pits he was able to return to the track in the final minutes of the session and improve his times. Unfortunately, he had a second crash at Turn 1, meaning his 1:47.352 on his seventh and final lap placed him nineteenth.

Despite the fact that Practice 1 started in the wet, the track dried out in some areas and during the session, which saw numerous crashes throughout. Rueda had difficulties and wasn’t able to improve his times from the morning. His 1:48.610 on his ninth lap of 15 placed him eighteenth. Zurutuza concentrated on adapting to the track and completing a productive Practice, after not being able to ride much during the morning. He worked on his setup while fighting to take a place in the Top 15. He was also unable to improve his times, finishing Friday in eighteenth position after setting a fastest lap of 1:48.610.

On Saturday, both riders will work hard to secure a direct spot in Q2. Moto3 qualifying will start at 12:50 pm local time.

Results Practice 1
1. Angel Piqueras (Honda) 1:44.949
2. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 1:45.991 +1.042
3. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) 1:47.062 +2.113
4. David Almansa (Honda) 1:47.111 +2.162
5. Matteo Bertelle (Honda) 1:47.153 +2.204
18. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.452 +3.503
19. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.610 +3.661

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Today was a strange day. In the first session we were improving lap by lap, but we reached a point where we couldn’t improve any further. In the second practice the track conditions were tricky, because it started out wet but then it dried out. I didn’t feel comfortable at all. The positive thing is that the rest of the weekend will be dry, so we have a lot of room for improvement.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“We have finished the first day in Australia. It has been a tough day due to the weather conditions. In the first practice we had a very good feeling with the bike, but we made two mistakes, with two crashes. The second, at Turn 1, was heavy, but luckily we didn’t have any serious injuries. In P1 the conditions were changing, although we started in the wet. We have taken a step back, we didn’t have much feeling, so we are focusing on tomorrow to improve.”