The first half of the season ends with Rueda’s best result in Moto2 -and Veijer just behind.

A great way to round off the first half of 2026 for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, securing their first double Top 10 finish in a race. On the one hand, Jose Antonio Rueda secured eighth place, his best result to date as a rider in the intermediate class, whilst Collin Veijer, after battling it out with his team-mate throughout the race, finished in ninth place, showing consistency after his home round two weeks ago.  

The Moto2 German Grand Prix was contested with a 26°C ambient temperature and 41°C on track.

Rueda managed to stay close to the Top 10 from the outset, despite the tricky nature of a first lap at the tight Sachsenring. He quickly moved back into his starting position of 11th, then up to 10th by the fifth lap. In a group of riders battling for seventh place, including his teammate Veijer, Rueda patiently waited for the opportune moment to continue moving up the order. It wasn’t until the final six laps that he caught up with Deniz Öncü and Veijer, and he then took eighth position and had a chance to fight for seventh. He came home in eighth place, for his best result as a Moto2 rider. The reigning Moto3 World Champion heads into the summer break as the intermediate class’ top rookie with 27 points, while climbing to 16th place in the overall standings.

Veijer held his grid position of ninth place early on, as he continues to make improvements with his starts in Moto2. As the early laps passed, he settled into the group battling for seventh place, alongside his teammate. Holding onto ninth place until almost the very end, the Dutchman was overtaken by Rueda in the final five laps. Although he tried to close the gap, he had to ease off due to tyre wear and dropped to ninth place before the chequered flag. The result secured him points for the third consecutive race, and was his third Top 10 finish in the last five rounds. Veijer currently remains 10th in the overall standings, with 55.5 points.

All in all, it was a Sunday of optimism and good results for Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer, who managed, for the first time this season, to finish together in the Top 10. With these important 15 points together, Red Bull KTM Ajo move up to seventh place in the Team standings, with 82.5 points. The Moto2 World Championship will resume at the British Grand Prix, which will take place at Silverstone on August 7-9th.

Race Results
1. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 35:00.119
2. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | +0.614
3. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | +3.229
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) | +7.430
5. Taiyo Furusato (Kalex) | +7.489
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +10.205
9. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +11.237

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 195.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 144 points
3. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 136 points
4. David Alonso (Kalex) | 116 points
5. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 115 points
10. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 55.5 points
16. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 27 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 331.5 points
2. CFMoto Azul Marino Aspar Team | 231 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 158.5 points
4. MB Conveyors SpeedRS Team | 126 points
5. QJMotor -R.O.M.E.A – MSI | 117.5 points
7. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 82.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was a solid weekend in general. Friday didn’t start well, but I felt we were stronger with both riders all the time, as they where closer and closer to the front during the weekend. They worked very hard during all three days to improve our performance overall, so it was a nice way to end an important round for both of them, after some difficult weekends. Obviously, this is a good way to end the first half of the season, so we’re looking forward to more during the second half when it gets underway in a few weeks”.

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“I’m happy with today’s result. We took a big step forward with the setup, so the feeling during the race was much better than over the rest of the weekend. We got a great start, but we lacked something during the early laps. I felt much better in general in comparison to yesterday, we solved some problems and we gained a lot of confidence, so this is very important for us ahead of the second part of the season. We have more solid points, so we’ll focus on our weak spots to be as competitive as possible from Silverstone onwards.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy to have finished the first half of the season like this. Going into the summer break with this feeling is excellent, especially after the race. It was a tough challenge this Sunday with so many left-hand corners and the resulting tyre wear, but I think we pulled it off very well. It was important to regain our feeling after Assen, so I’m very satisfied with today’s race and also with the weekend in general. Now it’s time to enjoy the break and prepare for the second half of the season.”