The Moto3 rider finishes the race in eleventh place, while Xabi Zurutuza retires after suffering a crash.

There was a difficult race for the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit. Jose Antonio Rueda and Xabi Zurutuza faced very demanding conditions due to the high temperatures and had to make their way up the order to chase points. Rueda finished in eleventh position, whilst Zurutuza was forced to retire after a crash.

Rueda started the Indonesian Grand Prix race from the fourth row of the grid. Getting off the line well allowed him to climb up to seventh place, but a long lap penalty given to him on Saturday affected proceedings. After completing the punishment early, Rueda dropped to 24th position and began a great comeback to move into the points. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider tried to close the gap to lead the second group and break into the Top 10, with a fight on the closing laps involving constant changes of position. Rueda crossed the finish line in eleventh.

Zurutuza did not have the weekend he had hoped for in Indonesia. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who started from the back of the grid, also had to complete a double long lap penalty in the initial stages, which hampered his chances of points. He had made up positions to avoid falling behind the rest of the riders and stay 21st, but when he rejoined the action he suffered a crash. Despite remounting to try to continue gaining experience, he later had to retire due to discomfort. After a visit to the medical centre, injuries have been ruled out and he is fit for the next race.

Race Results
1. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 32:57.410
2. Adrian Fernandez (Honda) +0.085
3. David Muñoz (KTM) +0.225
4. Angel Piqueras (Honda) +0.664
5. Luca Lunetta (Honda) +0.835
11. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +16.770
RT. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2024
1. David Alonso (CFMOTO) 296 points
2. Daniel Holgado (GASGAS) 199 points
3. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 191 points
4. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 189 points
5. David Muñoz (KTM) 133 points
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo)  110 points
22. Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 11 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2024
1. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 340 points
2. MT Helmets MSI – 277 points
3. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP – 261 points
4. Leopard Racing – 252 points
5. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 – 249 points
7. Red Bull KTM Ajo – 124 points

AKI AJO – Team Manager

“It was a challenging weekend for us in Moto3. We don’t feel like we have major problems, but we struggled to find speed at this track. Our race pace today was not the best and, of course, the penalties that both riders got yesterday disturbed our race quite a lot. Every race brings with it further experience, especially with these very challenging conditions today. The most important thing is that we collected all the information about it. We always learn for the coming rounds and we go to Japan with an open mind. We feel that we are able to fight for top positions again.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“This weekend we were able to learn more things about the bike for the upcoming races. Without the long lap penalty, I think we could have fought for the front positions, as our pace was good and I felt very good on the bike. I made a very good start, my best of the year, and I am very happy to have improved in that aspect. In addition, I have changed my way of riding a lot to go faster. I’m happy, because we were able to salvage the weekend and we hope to do better from the start at the Japanese Grand Prix.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“We’ve finished the Indonesian GP. It was a fairly tough weekend. In the race I tried to do the long laps as early as possible, but trying to catch up with the riders in front I lost the front end and I crashed. Now we are looking ahead to Japan in a week. We will continue working to improve the positions we finish in.”