The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider claims the title in style with a victory. Alvaro Carpe is unable to finish a great race after being involved in a crash.

Sunday at the Indonesian Grand Prix was a day to remember for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, with Jose Antonio Rueda clinching the Moto3™ World Championship title with his ninth win of the season. He made consistent progress throughout the race, and led the way with two laps remaining, when a red flag brought the contest to a premature end. Teammate Alvaro Carpe was forced to retire after being involved in a crash, while enjoying his best race of the second half of the season.

With track temperature up to 60°C and 75% humidity, the Moto3 riders had to face the most extreme conditions of the weekend in Sunday’s race at Mandalika.

Rueda started from 9th on the grid, and rode intelligently throughout. He was conservative on the opening lap, which he concluded in 13th place, then gradually rose up the order. He slotted in behind Carpe after the eighth lap of the race, in a tightly packed group, but continued his ascent, eventually taking the lead past the halfway point. From there, Rueda switched up the pace to further stretch the field, in a race he only needed to take 7 more points than rival Angel Piqueras to take the title. An incident between Adrian Fernandez and David Muñoz forced Race Direction to show the red flag and end the race. Rueda was declared the winner due to a penalty for the former and with it earned his ninth victory of the season. With 340 points, 109 points ahead of his closest rival, and 13 podium finishes in 18 races, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider became the 2025 Moto3™ World Champion.

Carpe got off to an excellent start and snatched the holeshot at Turn 1. The fight in the lead group was relentless from the outset, leaving the rookie in fifth place after the first lap. As the opening third of the race progressed, the group remained stable, with up to 14 riders involved and Carpe consistently in the Top 5. However, on Lap 13, a risky overtaking move by David Almansa resulted in him colliding with Taiyo Furusato, who in turn knocked down Carpe. Whilst he escaped uninjured and has already been declared fit for the next round, he was unable to remount. After suffering only his second crash of the season on Sunday’s races, the Spaniard drops to sixth place in the standings, with 157 points.

In conclusion, it was a perfect Sunday for Jose Antonio Rueda and Red Bull KTM Ajo, who together clinched the riders’ fourth title in the World Championship’s Moto3 class. It was a good feeling with a disappointing outcome, for Alvaro Carpe, who put in his best performance in recent months despite being unable to finish the race at Mandalika. With the Rider title already decided, the focus now shifts to the Team crown, which Red Bull KTM Moto3 team have the chance of clinching in Australia in a fortnight’s time. They have 497 points whilst their nearest rivals are on 354.

With this double-header in Japan and Indonesia, the World Championship faces a week’s break before going for the last double-header overseas: Australia and Malaysia. Which will get underway with the visit to Phillip Island, on October 17-19th.

Race Results
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 29:28.292
2. Luca Lunetta (Honda) | +0.305
3. Guido Pini (KTM) | +0.388 
4. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | +3.027
5. Jacob Roulstone (KTM) | +4.978
DNF. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +4 laps

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 340 points
2. Angel Piqueras (KTM) | 231 points
3. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 217 points
4. David Muñoz (KTM) | 197 points
5. Joel Kelso (KTM) | 159 points
6. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 157 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 497 points
2. FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | 354 points 
3. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team | 311 points
4. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 290 points
5. Leopard Racing | 240 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“The weekend started quite well for both riders, who were able to find their pace from the beginning. What a race and what a year for Jose Antonio!  I really have no words to explain it all. We are just so happy to get this World Championship and also to have him on the team -both now and for the next few years. On the other hand, we’re also especially happy with Alvaro’s weekend, because he’s recovering from a very difficult last few races and I’m sure he’s back on form. Today, he suffered a crash and it wasn’t  fair on him, because he really had the chance to fight for the win here at Mandalika. Now we’ve got to focus on Phillip Island to keep this momentum and have both riders at the front during the next race.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy to have achieved the dream I’ve had since I was a kid. I took the race calmly, especially at the start, and we were able to improve lap by lap. I knew I had the pace to be at the front, so when things cleared up I started pushing. It’s a shame about the red flag, as the celebration had to be a little bit improvised, but it’s a pleasure to be able to win the title. I can’t put into words how I feel, so I can only thank my parents, my family, Aki, Niklas, the entire Red Bull KTM Ajo team, and everyone who has helped me at any point in my career to make this possible. Now it’s time to enjoy it and finish the season on a high note.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“Everything went well, despite the crash. I’m very happy with how I felt. I felt fast, consistent, competitive, and aggressive again, and that’s the most important thing about the race and the weekend. We deserved to get that feeling back, so we have to take that away from this round. Obviously, we’re not happy with the result, but it wasn’t our fault. The crash was nasty and could have hurt me badly, but luckily I only have some discomfort in my shoulder, so overall it’s positive. I tried to protect my teammate as best I could, and he took the title, so I’m very happy about that, and congratulations to the whole team; they definitely deserve it.”