Japan is the venue for the seventeenth round of the season, where the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders are looking to get off to a good start to the flyaway series of races.

The five-week flyaway section of the Moto3 season gets underway at Motegi this weekend, with Red Bull KTM Ajo visiting Japan, Indonesia, Australia, and Malaysia in quick succession. In this time, Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe will try to definitively secure the Team title, with Rueda competing for the Rider title.

Rueda arrives in the Land of the Rising Sun back to best form, after earning 45 points out of a possible 50 in the last two rounds. In Barcelona, after coming back from 13th place after a Long Lap, he came close to victory, whilst at Misano he took glory with a final corner overtake. In both races he had proven to be the strongest rider in terms of pace. With eight wins and 11 podium finishes to date in 2025, the Moto3 World Championship leader will be looking to get even closer to the title in Japan. Motegi is a track he likes, but where he has yet to place on the podium: He finished tenth in 2023 and fifth last year. With 295 points, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider leads his closest rival, Angel Piqueras, by 78.

Carpe has never visited any of the four upcoming circuits, so the challenge for him is to adapt as quickly as possible to all of them, in order to be competitive and continue fighting for the Rookie of the Year honour. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider is coming off a 13th place finish in Barcelona and a Top 10 finish at Misano in the last two rounds. Although Carpe is struggling a little bit to find the speed he enjoyed in the first half of the season, he is showing great consistency and maturity for someone with his limited experience in the World Championship: He has now scored points in 14 consecutive Grands Prix. Carpe has 155 points and is fifth in the overall standings, 33 behind his closest rival for the rookie crown, Maximo Quiles.

So, after a long series of Grand Prix contested in Europe, the World Championship convoy arrives in Asia for the seventeenth round, where Red Bull KTM Ajo wants to continue making steady progress towards the team title. By the moment, the team have 450 points, 128 ahead of any other rival. At Motegi, the team have achieved four podium finishes from the last eight visits: Second for Miguel Oliveira (2015), Brad Binder (2016), and Niccolò Antonelli (2017), and third for Binder in 2018.

In conclusion, Japan is just around the corner and, with it, night-time schedules are back for all European fans. With a seven-hour time difference from many European countries, the sessions will start on Friday, as usual, at 09:00 a.m. (local time) with the first Moto3 Free Practice, whilst Sunday’s 17-lap race kicks off at 11 a.m.

Circuit information – Mobility Resort Motegi
Length: 4.801 m / 2.983 miles
Width: 15 m / 49.21 ft.
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 8
Longest straight: 762 m / 0.473 miles
Constructed: 1997
Modified: 1997

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We’re arriving in Japan, a country I really like and am excited to visit. Motegi’s track characteristics also suit my riding style, making it one of the most enjoyable circuits on the calendar. I have fond memories from there, as I’ve always been fast in the final laps of the race. I’m looking forward to getting there so I can start working steadily, session by session and step by step, as we always do -to reach our maximum potential on Sunday. I think we can do well, so I’m confident that we can put on a good performance alongside the team. I think I will enjoy the three days.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m starting my first trip to Asia with great excitement and I’m eager to see all the countries and circuits we’ll be visiting. We’ll be away for five weeks, so I’m very excited to get to know the continent. We’ve trained hard these past few weeks, so I’m very motivated to get to Japan, which is a country I think I’m going to love. From what I’ve heard and seen about Motegi, I think it’s also going to be a track I’ll enjoy, so I’m eagerly awaiting Friday to get to know it in-depth. We’re going to give our all, as always, to return to the top and compete head-to-head with the front guys.”