Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team make the most of a race shortened to just 14 laps following a red flag on the opening lap.

Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer finished the Indonesian Grand Prix in tenth and eleventh positions, respectively, as the contest was cut to two-thirds distance due to a red flag incident at the first corner. The Spaniard secured his fourth Top 10 finish of the season to increase the rookies lead, while Veijer salvaged a strong result from a Sunday that began with him getting caught up in the multiple first lap crash.

The weather in Mandalika saw a scorching track temperature of 64°C that kept conditions very similar to those experienced during Friday and Saturday.

Following a chaotic start, the race was halted by a red flag. Unfortunately, Veijer was involved in the incident, as he collided with another rider’s bike in the middle of the track. He managed to return to pit lane and was pushed by the team back to the garage, where the Moto2 and Moto3 crews worked against the clock to repair his machine. He was then able to take part in the restart, set for 14 laps.

Rueda made his best start of the season following the restart, moving from 14th on the grid to 10th in the space of just a few corners. He quickly found himself alongside Veijer, battling for ninth place. He ultimately had to settle for 10th, finishing just tenths of a second behind the riders in eighth and ninth. With this second consecutive Top 10 finish, the Spaniard has now scored points in three straight races, moving up to 17th place in the overall standings with 43 points, while also extending his lead in the Rookie of the Year ranking to 16 points.

Veijer did not get off the line well on the restart, having to settle into a large pack. The Dutchman, who dropped from seventh to twelfth, managed to settle in behind Rueda, find his rhythm, and refocus. While battling his teammate in the group contending for eighth place, he lost momentum in the closing stages and settled for 11th, securing important points on what had been a tough Sunday. Veijer now has 80.5 points in the overall standings and remains 12th, just 2.5 points outside the Top 10.

In conclusion, it was a good way for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team to round off the weekend, very close to put both riders into the Top 10 for the second time this season. This is the fourth time both have finished in the points, mirroring, in fact, the results achieved at the previous CzechGP. They have now reached 123.5 points, holding onto 10th place in the Team standings, and move on to a second flyaway double-header, which kicks off in Australia at Phillip Island -for the last time- on October 23rd–25th.

Race Results
1. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 21:44.433
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | (+3.570)
3. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | (+4.497)
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) | (+4.809)
5. Daniel Muñoz (Kalex) | (+6.461)
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+12.253)
11. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+15.217)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 265.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 260 points
3. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 191.5 points
4. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 170 points
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | 166 points
12. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 80.5 points
17. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 43 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 430.5 points
2. CFMoto Power Electronics Aspar Team | 336 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 277.5 points
4. OnlyFans American Racing Team | 197 points
5. QJMotor – JP Financial – MSI | 195.5 points
10. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 123.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“I think it was a very entertaining race today, because a lot of things happened. First of all, we were lucky enough to have Colin back this weekend. It was very nice to have him back after the injury. He was right there on the pace, but very unfortunate, especially today, when he had a big crash off the first start, The mechanics and all the staff did an amazing job to repair the bike in time for him to be able to race again. From there on, maybe our tyre strategy was not the best today off the restart, so I think there could have been a possibility to do even better. But it is what it is. Jose Antonio had a very consistent weekend, as he did in Japan, working well from Friday and going through to Q2 yesterday. We can say that we had a decent weekend in general, and both riders are taking steps all the time to get closer to the top.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“I’m quite pleased with the weekend. We have a lot to improve, for sure, but it was not a bad round, bearing in mind I’d gone a month without riding this or any other bike. We prioritised focusing on my recovery to come back as soon as possible, so we didn’t train anything specific with the bike before Mandalika. The race was a little bit unfortunate for us from the beginning with the crash, but we were able to start over again. The feeling I had was not amazing, especially on the left side, where I suffered a little bit with the rear tyre wear, but overall, we can be satisfied with the final position. I’m really happy to be enjoying myself again together with the team, whom I want to thank for all the dedication they showed in repairing my bike before the second start.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We got lucky with the restart, since whilst I had fallen quite far back during the first start, the second start was fantastic; I overtook several riders on the opening lap. That was one of the areas we had needed to improve before, so I’m very satisfied with that aspect. The result is good, though I think we could have achieved a bit more today. That said, I gave it my all, holding nothing back. The rear end was sliding a lot coming out of the corners, so there wasn’t really anything more I could do. We took another Top 10 finish, picked up points, and had another solid weekend. Now it’s time to try and take another step forward.”