A superb race from the Dutchman sees him battle for the win right up to the final laps. After a positive race, Rueda battles his way back to 21st.

It was a great Sunday for Collin Veijer at Misano in the San Marino Grand Prix. The Dutchman led the opening laps before spending the rest of the race chasing the championship leader, placing second in the contest. Jose Antonio Rueda managed to finish the race after a difficult weekend, climbing from 28th to 21st place.

After two mornings of mixed conditions, the intermediate class was able to race the San Marino Grand Prix in ideal conditions: no overnight rain, dry asphalt, an ambient temperature of 27°C, and a track temperature of 38°C.

Veijer had an ideal race throughout. He got off to a perfect start, gaining a position before Turn 1 and inheriting the lead after a multi-rider crash at the end of the straight involving the top four competitors. Veijer then established his pace, gradually stretching out the pack. After the first four laps, he was overtaken by the championship leader, but latched onto the slipstream to battle head-to-head for the win until the closing stages. He took second place despite a challenge from Manuel Gonzalez, who maintained a strong pace right to the end, and earned his second podium of the season -his third as a Moto2 rider. Veijer moves up to 75.5 points, reclaiming 10th place in the overall standings.

Rueda got off to a good start from 28th place, making up several positions through clever overtaking and other riders retiring; this allowed him to break into the Top 20 within just a few laps. After the halfway point of the race, he settled into 19th place, though he was far behind the group fighting for points. Unfortunately, the Spaniard was handed a Long Lap penalty in the closing stages for exceeding the track limits too many times, forcing him down to 22nd. He maintained a steady pace on the final laps, and managed to catch the rider in 21st late on, finishing close to the Top 20 after a very challenging weekend. Rueda remains in the lead in the Rookie ranking for another week with 27 points to his name, sitting 18th in the overall standings.

After an important Sunday for the team, Red Bull KTM Ajo continue in ninth in the Team standings with 102.5 points, less than ten points off seventh place. Aiming to build on this strong showing at the San Marino Grand Prix, both Collin Veijer and Jose Antonio Rueda now head to the Austrian Grand Prix from September 18–20th, for KTM’s home race at Red Bull Ring.

Race Results
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 34:57.913
2. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +2.451
3. Barry Baltus (Kalex) | +4.692
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | +5.785
5. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) | +6.068
21. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +38.751

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 232.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 185 points
3. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 157.5 points
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 149 points
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | 139 points
10. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 75.5 points
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 27 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 381.5 points
2. CFMoto Aspar European Privilege Team | 276 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 202.5 points
4. QJMotor – Green Power – MSI | 161.5 points
5. OnlyFans American Racing Team | 151 points
9. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 102.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“We are very happy about Collin’s podium. It’s been a long time coming and there’s been some unfortunate DNFs in the last few races, so I think it’s a very nice moment for him. I hope this really gives him confidence, extra motivation and calmness, to be able to keep this kind of level up for the rest of the season. Jose Antonio had a very difficult weekend overall. He didn’t really find his speed at any moment at Misano. For a rookie, sometimes this class is like this. There are some tracks that are easier than others, and I think this one, looking at previous years, has always been very tricky for a rookie. So I think it’s nothing to be too disappointed about. We just have to look ahead and work even harder now. I’m sure that soon he’ll be back at the same level he was before the summer break.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“We rode a very decent race. Overall, I think we had quite good pace, as we demonstrated during Qualifying yesterday. I’m very happy with how we managed the race today. Of course, we got a bit lucky at the start and at Turn 1, but after that, I just focused on sticking to my line and maintaining my pace. When Manu passed me I tried to stick with him, which worked out quite well. I think we had the pace to keep up with him during the final laps, but I didn’t want to take too many risks after the crashes at the last races. The most important thing was getting back on the podium and giving the team a nice gift after a few difficult weeks.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“It was a tough race today. The feeling wasn’t great at any point, but at least we managed to finish, which was the main thing. We tried everything, but we just couldn’t quite find our rhythm. That said, I’m satisfied with how we approached the weekend and how we handled things this Sunday. The first two days were very difficult, but today we turned things around and gathered a lot of data -which is the most valuable takeaway from Grands Prix that don’t go quite as planned. Now it’s time to look ahead to Austria; getting a good result there is important, given that it’s KTM’s home race.”