The Spanish rider will start the race from fifth position, with Xabi Zurutuza seventeenth.

The German Grand Prix qualifying sessions saw Jose Antonio Rueda fight for the top positions on the grid and set the fifth best time of the day, whilst Xabi Zurutuza will take off from 19th the verge of moving into Q2, and tomorrow he will start 17th.

Practice 2 was the last opportunity to secure a direct spot into Q2. With much better conditions than on Friday, Rueda improved his times quickly and continued working ahead of Sunday’s race. He ran a good strategy and remained among the frontrunners in a tight session. Rueda completed a total of 16 laps, achieving his best time on his third lap with a 1:25.372, which placed him in sixth. He was eighth overall. Zurutuza also had a big improvement in his feeling, and lowered his best  time by more than two seconds. He fought until the end for a place in the Top 14, although he finally completed the session in eighteenth place, with a time of 1:23.377. He was nineteenth on the combined timesheets.

In Q1, Zurutuza made an early challenge for access to Q2. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was, unfortunately, unable to set a time better than his 1:26.757, and fifth position meant he missed out on the opportunity to move into Q2 by just 0.086s and achieving the 19th fastest time. However, the penalties applied today will mean that Zurutuza will start the race from seventeenth position. Rueda was very competitive from the beginning and fought until the last minutes for the front row. When he was on course for pole position, another rider collided with him, preventing him from competing for the top spot. His 1:25.388 put him in fifth position and the second row of the grid.

The 23-laps Moto3 German Grand Prix race will take place this Sunday from 11am local time.

Results Qualifying
1. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 1:24.885
2. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 1:25.221 +0.336
3. Luca Lunetta (Honda) 1:25.222 +0.337
4. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) 1:25.386 +0.501
5. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:25.388 +0.503
19. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:26.757 +0.432 *Q1 Time

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“In Practice 2 we improved in all aspects to prepare well for the race. In Q2 I pushed from the start and with a new tyre I had a collision with another rider that affected me. In the end we are on the second row, which is not bad, but without the incident we could have got the front row. I’m very happy with the feeling on the bike and ready for tomorrow’s race.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“It has been a difficult day. We have taken a step forward in our riding and speed, but we incurred the double long lap penalty for tomorrow’s race which complicates things for us. We will see where we end up tomorrow after all the penalties, but of course we will do our best to recover positions quickly and get the best possible place.”