A good Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 sees both riders advancing from Q1 at Mandalika, to start from the third and fifth rows of the grid.

Collin Veijer was eighth and Jose Antonio Rueda fifteenth in Qualifying for the Indonesian Grand Prix, as Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team had a positive Saturday in Mandalika. Both riders made it out of Q1, with the pair entering Q2 and subsequently earning their respective spots on the grid.

Conditions for Free Practice 2 were similar to what the riders had encountered on Friday, with a track temperature of 47°C.

As for the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo, both riders have once again stepped up, demonstrating that their potential in Indonesia is better than yesterday’s Practice results.

Veijer was just as competitive as he had been on Friday morning, establishing himself in the Top 10 during his first run -less than half a second off the fastest time. Working alone with the race firmly in mind, the Dutchman came back out for the final ten minutes of the session, but was unable to improve further, struggling with issues similar to those from Friday afternoon; nevertheless, he managed to hold onto 10th place with a 1:32.800 -his best-ever lap at Mandalika. The Dutchman completed 19 laps in total. Rueda also appeared more comfortable, demonstrating steady progress session by session. Sitting in 13th place after his first run, the Spaniard fine-tuned details for the second part of the session, where he also focused primarily on preparing for the race. He succeeded in substantially lowering his previous time, clocking a 1:32.905 to finish 15th, very close to his best time from Practice. 

For qualifying, Veijer and Rueda competed in conditions that saw track temperatures nearing 65°C.

Veijer and Rueda were utterly dominant in Q1. The Dutchman led the session from the very first flying lap and made a strong statement on his second run, clocking a 1:32.325 -his fastest-ever time at Mandalika. Rueda moved into second place on his first run and solidified his position on his penultimate flying lap with a 1:32.584, which was also his best time of the weekend. Consequently, after completing nine and eight laps respectively, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders secured the top two spots in the session and advanced to Q2.

In Q2, Veijer capitalised on his strong Q1 form, starting the session with a solid first laps to join the Top 10 during his first stint. After a tyre change, the Dutchman virtually matched his Q1 best lap time when riding alone to take eighth place, despite not putting together a perfect lap. With a 1:32.362 best time from nine laps in total, he earned a spot on the third row of the grid, marking a successful return after missing two Grands Prix due to injury. Q2 did not go as well for Rueda, who was only able to use one new tyre, which he saved for his second stint. Although his pace was respectable, he made a small mistake on the penultimate corner of his final flying lap, losing the chance to better his Q1 time. Ultimately, after completing eight laps in Q2 with a best time of 1:32.647, he qualified 15th, matching the result he achieved in Japan the previous week.

In conclusion, it was a very positive Saturday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, which has taken a solid step forward following a little bit unfortunate. Now, the team aim to get both riders into the points on race day -a feat they haven’t accomplished since the German Grand Prix. The 22-lap Moto2 Indonesian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, starting at 1:15 p.m. (local time).

Qualifying Results
1. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 1:31.963
2. Alex Escrig (Forward) | 1:32.061 (+0.098)
3. David Alonso (Kalex) | 1:32.173 (+0.210)
4. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 1:32.214 (+0.251)
5. Daniel Muñoz (Kalex) | 1:32.272 (+0.309)
8. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:32.362 (+0.399)
15. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:32.647 (+0.684)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“It was a good Saturday. Overall, we can be quite happy with today. The morning session wasn’t easy, but we gave it our all to build as much confidence as possible for qualifying. In Q1, we were faster than in the morning -especially during the second stint- which gave me a boost heading into Q2. I felt good in general, though there’s still a little room for improvement in terms of our second run. In any case, we can be satisfied with today’s performance, so we’ll push hard tomorrow to bring home a strong result.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“It wasn’t a bad day today. We managed to advance to Q2 -which was the main goal- though we struggled a bit more after that, as we were tight on sets of tyres. Nevertheless, on fresh rubber, we came close to beating our Q1 time, but a small mistake cost us. I know I could have squeezed a bit more out of the session, especially on that final flying lap, but that’s just how it went today. Now it’s time to work hard this afternoon and prepare for tomorrow’s race as best we can; if we get a good start, I’m convinced we can put in a strong performance.”