Jose Antonio Rueda finishes ninth on Friday, with Xabi Zurutuza in 22nd.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team returned to work at Silverstone on Friday. Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza worked to find a good setup at the British circuit, where the weather conditions were perfect for a great day of practice. Rueda finished in ninth position, provisionally making it into Q2, while Zurutuza was 22nd in his debut appearance at the British GP.

In Free Practice, Rueda maintained a good pace and has occupied the top positions on the timesheets. He fine-tuned his KTM’s set-up, improved lap after lap and, after a pit stop, closed the gap to his rivals. After completing 14 laps, Rueda achieved sixth position with a time of 2:10.290 on his twelfth attempt +0.6s behind the leader. Zurutuza focused on getting to know this demanding track and adapting to it. The Moto3 rookie improved his feeling and pace during the session. He went on to set the seventeenth best time, a 2:11.752, on his eleventh lap of 13.

In the afternoon session, rising temperatures accompanied Rueda’s attempt to continue to improve his setup for Sunday’s race. The Spanish rider tried to lower his times and, finally, his 2:10.379 put him in the Top 10, in ninth position. Zurutuza worked to continue adapting, improving his feeling and trying to lower his times. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider achieved his best time on his thirteenth and final lap, with a 2:11.902 that placed him in 22nd position.

The British GP qualifying sessions will be held this Saturday, starting at 12:50 pm, local time.

Results Practice 1
1. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 2:09.565
2. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 2:09.952 +0.387
3. Jacob Roulstone (GasGas) 2:10.038 +0.473
4. Scott Ogden (Honda) 2:10.040 +0.475
5. Stefano Nepa (KTM) 2:10.100 +0.535
9. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:10.379 +0.814
22. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:11.902 +2.337

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We finished the first day with a good feeling because we managed to set a good pace. We still need a fast lap because we are still trying things out for QP. In this afternoon’s Practice we took a step forward and improved in aspects that were difficult for us this morning. We know the way forward, so we will work hard to lower the times and continue to improve the pace.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“The first day at Silverstone is over. Today has been a day of learning. In the first run after the holidays I didn’t do badly at all. In Practice 1 the feeling was much better, but we weren’t able to put together a good lap. We’ll see if tomorrow the weather is on our side and we have a chance to make it to Q2.”