The Spaniard misses out on points by less than two seconds. Veijer crashes out whilst battling for a podium position in the last third of the race.

Red Bull KTM Ajo couldn’t quite cap off a weekend of growth and development for both Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer at the Aragon Grand Prix. The Spanish rider, after a decent comeback, came home in 17th place, less than two seconds outside the Top 15, whilst Veijer was on course for one of his best races of the season until he crashed out on Lap 15.

With a track temperature of 45°C, the intermediate class had to contend with some of the hottest conditions of the weekend throughout the 19 laps of the MotorLand circuit.

Rueda rose to 19th from 21st on the grid, but a tight battle on the opening laps saw him drop back to 22nd. After the first third of the race, he gradually moved up the order, joining the group fighting for 16th place. Following that, he strung together a series of fast laps, reaching 18th and tussling for the final point up for grabs. However, despite showing him strength and consistency until the final lap, the group stretched out enough to force him to settle for 17th place, just 1.8 seconds off the points. Rueda remains the series’ top rookie with 27 points, but in the overall standings the Spaniard drops to 18th place.

Veijer got off the line well, moving from sixth to fifth on the opening lap. With an excellent early spell, he managed to climb to fourth, and before the halfway mark the Dutchman had moved into third place, holding onto it until Lap 15. Unfortunately, after dropping to fourth, Veijer made a small mistake, which finished in a fast crash at Turn 4, ending his race prematurely. Whilst he escaped unhurt, it was a second consecutive DNF following his crash at the British Grand Prix, and he now drops to 12th in the standings with 55.5 points.

In conclusion, it was a difficult Sunday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, whose two riders deserved better. Unfortunately, the small details are so important in the intermediate class, and both Rueda and Veijer will have to look for another chance in 15 days’ time. The pair will be back in action at the San Marino Grand Prix, which takes place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli from September 11-13th. Red Bull KTM Ajo occupy ninth place in the Team standings, with 82.5 points to their name.

Race Results
1. Alonso Lopez (Kalex) | 35:04.377
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | (+0.800)
3. David Alonso (Kalex) | (+0.881)
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) | (+2.887)
5. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | (+3.262)
17. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+21.370)
DNF. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +5 laps

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 207.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 175 points
3. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 149 points
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 144.5 points
5. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 137 points
12. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 55.5 points
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 27 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 356.5 points
2. CFMoto Inde Aspar Team | 269 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 190.5 points
4. QJMotor – Reverte – MSI | 148.5 points
5. OnlyFans American Racing Team | 148 points
9. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 82.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was a very bittersweet Sunday. Collin probably had one of his best weekends in Moto2 overall. He was constantly up there, feeling good, riding well, so we can be very proud of him. But, unfortunately, a tiny mistake today had very big consequences and meant he collected no points in the end. The most important thing is that he’s okay and he was back where he should be, so I think he can be proud and look ahead to the next few races. With Jose Antonio, I think on Friday he was struggling a little bit more than expected and then was constantly improving throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to fight for points today, but I believe that if he could have had a little bit of a better Qualifying yesterday, he had the pace to be up at the front. As always, that’s not easy for a rookie. The level is really high in Moto2, so we just have to keep working harder and we’ll get closer to the top all the time.”

#95 COLLIN  VEIJER

“We have a lot of positives to take from today. Of course, a crash is not the best way to end a race, but we were fighting for the podium and that’s what really counts. We started well, we made some good overtakes and we were enjoying riding in the Top 3, but I made a small mistake and went down. We will learn from this, but the most important thing is that we could show our potential again. It was my first time here at MotorLand with the Moto2 bike and the progression throughout the weekend has been huge, so we will take that as a starting point next time. We will now train even harder and focus on San Marino.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“The feeling after today’s race was positive. However, we weren’t able to fully demonstrate our improvement, as starting so far back on the grid is a big disadvantage in this class. On the first lap, I had to fight harder than usual with other riders, and by the time I was able to find my pace, the group had already stretched out too much. I’m satisfied with how we finished a somewhat difficult weekend, and with the pace we showed. Now it’s time to work hard and prepare for the final double-header in Europe.”