The Spanish rider sets the tenth fastest time, while Xabi Zurutuza is 25th.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 improved their times from Friday on Day 2 of the Malaysian GP,  with Jose Antonio Rueda fighting for the top positions in Q2 before suffering misfortune with yellow flags. Xabi Zurutuza will start from 25th in Sepang.

Practice 2 allowed the riders to continue fine-tuning their setups and strategy for Qualifying. Rueda took another step forward in terms of his feeling and ran a good pace from the first minutes onwards. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider focused on securing a spot in Q2, and after completing a total of 10 laps, set his best time on the fourth attempt. His 2:10.853 placed him in twelfth position. Zurutuza showed significant progress compared to Friday and closed the gap to his rivals. After getting to know the Sepang International Circuit better, he tried to continue climbing positions, and his 2:11.466 on his penultimate lap put him in eighteenth place.

In Q1, Zurutuza had some difficulty putting together a fast lap, despite his good feeling. With a time of 2:12.069 he was eleventh, so he will start tomorrow’s race in 25th place. Rueda made his way into the Top10 in Q2, although he was unable to compete for the front positions, as another rider crashed in the final moments while he was improving his time and the yellow flags delayed him. Finally, his 2:10.747 puts him in tenth position, on the fourth row of the grid.

The Moto3 Malaysian Grand Prix takes place at 12pm local time on Sunday.

Results Qualifying 
1. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) 2:09.542
2. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 2:09.895 +0.353
3. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 2:10.015 +0.473
4. Tatsuki Suzuki (Husqvarna) 2:10.128 +0.586
5. Joel Kelso (KTM) 2:10.278 +0.736
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:10.747 +1.205
25. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:12.069 +1.370

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We have finished the second day with a very good feeling. It wasn’t reflected in the result, because at the end of Practice 2 with new tyres it started to rain a little, but luckily the time at the start was good and we managed to get through to Q2. In Qualifying the strategy worked out well, but I missed out on my fastest lap because I had a moment. Even so, I’m happy because I think we have the speed to be able to fight at the front tomorrow. Without the scare, we would have started a few positions further up. We managed to set the time with a reference in front of us, on a very long circuit where the slipstream is very important, so we’re ready for tomorrow.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“We’ve finished the second day in Malaysia. It’s been a bittersweet day, but on the one hand it’s very positive, because we’ve taken a big step forward compared to yesterday. It’s a shame that in Q1 I didn’t do a clean lap to go through to Q2, as the feeling was good enough to do that. It wasn’t to be, so we’re focused on tomorrow and on doing our best, as it’s going to be a fun race.”