The Spaniard has his best race as a Moto2 rider, while Collin Veijer is unable to finish due to a heavy crash with five laps remaining.

Jose Antonio Rueda achieved his best result in the intermediate class thus far at the Catalan Grand Prix. The reigning Moto3 World Champion finished twelfth, fighting his way back from 19th position due to a difficult start. Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Collin Veijer crashed out in Barcelona on the exit from Turn 8 after completing the Long Lap.

With clouds threatening rain at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Moto2 race was held amidst a track temperature of 22°C and 60% humidity.
Starting ninth at his home round, Rueda got off the line poorly and was relegated to 19th after the first lap. Resetting, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider overtook rivals lap after lap, reaching 12th position in the second half of the race. With the Top 10 just two seconds away, the rookie was able to maintain his advantage over the riders behind him and was one of the fastest on track on the final lap, taking the chequered flag in 12th place to conclude his best weekend in the intermediate class. He earned 5 points in the overall standings, which puts him in 22nd place, and is second in the Rookie of the Year ranking.

It was a bad Sunday for Collin Veijer, who dropped to 20th on the first lap from second on the grid. The things went even worse for him after completing the Long Lap penalty incurred at Le Mans. Whilst he tried to recover positions to reach the points, he got back up to 18th, but then suffered a highside at the exit of Turn 8, forcing him to retire. Fortunately, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who visited the Medical Centre after the crash, escaped unhurt and will be able to participate in the Moto2 Test scheduled for next Tuesday. In the overall standings, the Dutchman remains 11th with 29.5 points.

Red Bull KTM Ajo now have 34.5 points and occupy 10th position in the Team standings. The next stop for the Moto2 World Championship will take place in two weeks with the Italian Grand Prix, which will be held at the Autodromo Internazionale di Mugello from May 29th-31st.

Race Results
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 36:06.295
2. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) | +0.203
3. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | +4.205
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | +6.338
5. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | +7.971
12. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +15.056
DNF. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +5 laps

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 104.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 86 points
3. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) | 73 points
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 65 points
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | 58 points
11. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 29.5 points
22. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 5 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 169.5 points
2. CFMoto Impulse Aspar Team | 107 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 87.5 points
4. Beta Tools SpeedRS Team | 80 points
5. QJMotor – Bordoy – MSI | 52.5 points
10. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 34.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“This was another difficult Sunday. The weekend was positive until raceday, where we were the victims of bad starts and a poor first lap, which meant we couldn’t fight for the top spots. Jose Antonio keeps growing step by step and this is very positive for the future. Collin didn’t have too much luck in any aspect today, starting with the first lap and finishing with the big crash in the last part of the race. We’ve got an important test on Tuesday, so we hope to find some things that allow us to fight more frequently at the front during the next few races.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“It definitely wasn’t our best Sunday. I want to say sorry to my team, because we worked so well during the weekend to offer a good showing today, but the race didn’t go as planned. The start was horrible, and after the Long Lap we were down to 20th, so I tried to calm down and fight back as much as possible. Then I suffered a big highside. The best news from today is that we’re more or less ok, so it’s time to focus on the test and then look ahead to  Italy. We need to learn how to manage some situations on the mental side, and then we will be able to fight with the fastest riders, I’m sure.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We finished the weekend with a good feeling on the bike. It’s true we could have finished higher up the order, but the start held us back. On the first corner, I hit the brakes a bit earlier than necessary, and that affected me coming out of Turn 2, where I almost made contact with another rider. From then on, the race went well. We were able to move up the field, show a good pace, and enjoy ourselves until the end, which is vital for us at this point in the season. The weekend was very positive overall, so now we need to build on that in the upcoming races.”