The rookie completes the Top 5 in Q2 despite suffering a crash. Rueda will take off from twelfth.

The second day at the Sachsenring for the Moto3 riders was a wet one, affecting Qualifying for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders Alvaro Carpe and Jose Antonio Rueda and also having an impact on the morning’s FP2 session. Carpe will start fifth on the grid, with Rueda twelfth after being caught out by the presence of yellow flags in the final part of the session.

Carpe was very competitive on the slippery surface in FP2, and was among the top riders from the get-go. The young rookie, who had not had a large amount of experience in wet conditions this year, did not drop out of the Top 5 at any point during the session. With a best time of 1:35.032 on his ninth lap of 19, he finished the session in fifth. Teammate Rueda was eighth, having decided to take the session more slowly, not wanting to take too many risks given the challenge that the Sachsenring presented early on. However, lap after lap, the current Moto3 World Championship leader made his way closer to the frontrunners, with a 1:35.179 in the final stretch after several consecutive laps lowering his times. With 19 laps completed, the same number as his teammate, Rueda closed the session one-tenth behind Carpe and five off the top spot.

In the afternoon, Q2 began with more rain on the track, forcing the Moto3 riders to use what they had learned during the morning’s FP2 session. However, the action was quickly halted due to a red flag following a crash for Guido Pini, which required the repositioning of an air fence that had been damaged in the collision.

When back out on track, Carpe swiftly set the pace, just as he had in the morning. The young rookie fought for the front row of the grid, but a crash at Turn 9 left him out of the running in the closing minutes. Fortunately, despite the heavy impact, Carpe was unharmed and will be able to participate in Sunday’s race without problems. His best time of 1:35.252, from only six laps completed, took him to fifth on the grid. Rueda struggled slightly more to secure a good starting position. He was hampered in the final stretch of the session by several crashes that brought out yellow flags, meaning any laps set were scrubbed. Fortunately, one of his final flying laps would count, allowing him to move up to 12th place with a 1:35.631 and complete the fourth row of the grid. In total, he completed nine laps.

After a demanding and tricky Saturday, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will be aiming for a good race on a Sunday where rain is not expected to return for the 23-lap Moto3 German Grand Prix, which takes place at 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Sunday.

Qualifying Results
1. Scott Ogden (KTM) | 1:35.001
2. David Almansa (Honda) | 1:35.043 (+0.042)
3. Guido Pini (KTM) | 1:35.135 (+0.134)
4. David Muñoz (KTM) | 1:35.155 (+0.154)
5. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.252 (+0.251)
12. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.631 (+0.630)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Today went very well in the wet. I was very happy with FP2, where we greatly improved our feeling and setup in wet conditions, so the verdict is positive. It was a shame about the last part of Q2, where several yellow flags prevented us from making it onto one of the first two rows, but we have to learn from these things and focus on the positives, which is what makes us satisfied. We’ll have to see if tomorrow’s race is finally dry or wet, but either way, we’re ready to give it our all. I’ll try to enjoy the track as much as possible, as I really like it and I’m eager to achieve a good result here.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It was a strange day today. Both sessions were wet, although it didn’t rain during FP2 in the morning, but did during Q2. Overall, we had a good day despite the crash we suffered in the final minutes of Qualifying. We went onto the white line and lost the bike, but I was unhurt, which is the important thing. We worked really hard on our pace to be prepared for whatever track conditions we encounter during the race, so we’re ready to fight and give it our all tomorrow. Little by little, we’re getting used to the track, so I’m looking forward to the race.”