Good day for Rueda and Carpe, who finished fourth and seventh in Q2 under the Texas sun.

Red Bull KTM Ajo completed the second day in Austin successfully and, after a rainy Friday, the sun shone throughout Saturday. Both Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe were able to work in favourable conditions in both Time Attack and race pace. Rueda will start fourth on the grid, while Carpe will do so from seventh.

Saturday began with the skies somewhat clearer than Friday, with some wet patches but dry asphalt. Free Practice 2 was the first session under normal conditions for Rueda and Carpe. Both quickly lowered their Friday times by up to eight seconds. Rueda, who took a little longer to leave the pits, ended up posting a 2:16.411 on his final flying lap. He finished sixth, with 12 laps completed. Carpe started FP2 pushing hard, holding second place for much of the session. Finally, after 11 laps, the rookie finished seventh with a 2:16.504, just 0.095 seconds behind his teammate.

With sunny conditions in Austin, the qualifying sessions began. Rueda and Carpe had both made their way directly into Q2. After a good start, Rueda led the way, but after a pit stop, he crashed on the first sector, leaving him with no chance of completing the Time Attack. On the final flying lap, he managed to slightly improve his time (2:14.588), and ultimately, the World Championship leader was fourth in COTA. Carpe’s good time of 2:14.838 catapulted him to P2, but he dropped to seventh amidst the fast laps from the rest of the field.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team is prepared for tomorrow’s race in both wet and dry conditions. Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe will be looking to defend both the riders‘ and teams’ lead for another weekend. The pair will head the second and third rows, respectively, starting at 11:00am local time on Sunday, in the 14-lap Grand Prix of the Americas.

Qualifying Results
1. David Muñoz (KTM) 2:14.422
2. Maximo Quiles (CFMoto) 2:14.532 +0.110
3. Joel Kelso (KTM) 2:14.546 +0.124
4. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:14.588 +0.166
5. Dennis Foggia (CFMoto) 2:14.738 +0.316
7. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:14.838 +0.416

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We’re finishing today with a good feeling for tomorrow’s race once again. We were able to try a few things during the morning in FP2, which was the first dry practice session of the weekend, and they worked well. It’s a shame about that strange crash we had in Qualifying, because it didn’t allow us to do the Time Attack properly, but at least it helped us understand the behaviour of the tyres. We’re ready to fight until the end.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I enjoyed myself today. I think we got a good starting position and, what’s more, we were able to test the track out in dry conditions to gain more confidence. I love the layout and I really enjoyed it, both in the morning and in Q2. I think tomorrow will be an entertaining race. We worked well on our pace and I feel strong fighting with other riders, so I think we can have a good race and enjoy it to the fullest.“