The second day at Balaton Park ends with good results for the two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders, who will start from second and third rows.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 will have their two riders on the second and third rows for the Hungarian Grand Prix this Sunday. Alvaro Carpe will start fourth, having qualified just 17 thousandths of a second off the front row, while Jose Antonio Rueda was eighth in Q2 after a great Free Practice 2.

More familiar with the track after their Friday experience and favoured by sunny weather conditions, the Moto3 riders enjoyed track temperatures of 32ºC for FP2 -heat similar to that of the previous afternoon.

Moto3 World Championship leader Rueda achieved his best time of the weekend on his fifth lap of the session, going almost 5 tenths quicker than in Practice to move into fourth place. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider tried to make the most of the session, completing a long run before attacking again in the final minutes, where he once again managed to improve his time to 1:46.111. That was almost 9 tenths better than his time from the previous afternoon. He was under 3 tenths off the top spot from his best lap of 17, and was fourth on the timesheets. Carpe also started in front, although the constant improvement made by the entire field soon dropped him to the middle of the timesheets. However, like his teammate, he was already faster than on Friday by half a second. Following some of his speedy rivals to learn more details of the Hungarian track, Carpe also worked on his pace by stringing together a series of consecutive laps. Finally, with a time of 1:46.699, exactly one second quicker than on Friday, the rookie secured ninth place, 8 tenths from the top spot.

Q2 presented nearly identical conditions than yesterday’s Practice for Rueda and Carpe, with track temperatures up slightly to 38ºC.

Carpe’s first lap was excellent, as he slotted into the back of the pack and followed his rivals around the 4km track, temporarily moving into second place with his best time of the entire weekend. On his second outing, reassured by his early marker, the Spaniard tried to find a good slipstream that would allow him to lower his time even further, but had to settle for his 1:46.167 after seven laps. This time left him fourth on the grid, just 1 tenth off Pole Position. Rueda opted to go out alone, employing his customary strategy. It did, however, make his first laps somewhat more difficult due to the blustery wind blowing across the track. After his first outing, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider was in 11th place, 7 tenths off his morning time. With room for improvement, Rueda quickly returned to the track to continue his work, setting two consecutive fastest laps that put him eighth with a 1:46.448. He put in seven laps, and will start from the third row of the grid.

With one session with Rueda and Carpe, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team is already prepared to face his first race at Balaton Park, where a good start will be key to staying with the leading group. The 20-lap Moto3 Hungarian Grand Prix will take place at 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Sunday.

Qualifying Results
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:46.060
2. Valentin Perrone (KTM) | 1:46.120 (+0.060)
3. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 1:46.150 (+0.090)
4. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:46.167 (+0.107)
5. David Muñoz (KTM) | 1:46.324 (+0.264)
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:46.448 (+0.388)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“This morning we went quite fast and also had a good pace riding alone, so we were able to gather some good data for tomorrow’s race. In the afternoon, in Q2, it was a bit more difficult for me as the wind hindered me more without a slipstream. My teammate helped me a bit, but that lap didn’t go quite right for me, so I had to do it alone on my last attempt. We were missing something in two or three areas of the track, so tomorrow we’ll have to get a good start and set ourselves up well -to recover the positions we lost with those tenths of a second that we couldn’t quite get this afternoon.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It was a very good day today. We’ve improved a lot, both in terms of learning the track and the bike. We finished the day very close to Pole Position, but the second row of the grid is enough for us to try to get a good start in the race. Tomorrow it will be a fast race, even though it is a slow track, and there will be a lot of overtaking. We’ll try to fight as hard as we can and stay strong, as it’s a physical track where you can’t rest anywhere. Practice has gone very well, so our chances for tomorrow have increased. We’re going to enjoy ourselves and try to have a good Sunday here in Hungary.”