Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe complete the first test of the year with a good feeling.

Red Bull KTM Ajo undertook their first test of the 2025 preseason on Monday and Tuesday in Portimao. Both Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe were able to have a productive and hard-working first day, reflected in their results and lap times, but refrained from going out on track during the second day due to morning rain.

Rueda started Monday with a very good feeling, occupying the top spots on the timesheets from the start. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who will contest a third season for the team in 2025, took advantage of the good weather conditions to continue the work carried out during the last campaign. A highly prolific day saw him rack up a total of 110 laps, with a best time of 1:45.845 keeping him amongst the fastest participants. In addition, Rueda lowered the circuit record, which he himself had set in Q2 of the 2024 Portuguese GP.

Carpe also drew very positive conclusions from his first day, with 100 laps to his name and a lot of work done to adapt to the Red Bull KTM Ajo bike. The young Moto3 rookie was very satisfied with the progress he made throughout the day and, with a fastest time of 1:46.680, was just over a second off the top spot. He was also close to placing in the Top 10, where he had spent a good part of Monday.

On Tuesday, both Rueda and Carpe waited on the weather and if the track would dry out satisfactorily after morning rain. They finally decided to write off the day and save the test for mid-season. 

The two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders will be back on track next Tuesday, February 18th, for the start of the Official Test, which will take place at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto over three consecutive days.

Niklas Ajo – Team Manager
“First of all, I want to give a massive thanks to all our team for the hard work they did during the winter, because we had a very short time to prepare and everyone worked extremely hard to be ready for the season. Here, in Portimao, we had a very good start for the two Moto3 riders. We also did more laps than any other team during the first day. José Antonio picked up more or less from where he left off last year, with a very good pace and focusing on long runs while trying not to modify the bike too much. Our Moto3 Rookie Alvaro had a very good start as well as showing his maturity and potential since the first laps on track, so we are happy with both riders.”

#99 Jose Antonio Rueda
“I’m very satisfied with the results obtained during this first test in Portimao. It’s a shame that we were not able to ride during the second day, but we can take away the positive feeling we obtained on Monday. The weather was good and the work done was very positive too, so we are going to Jerez with a very clear path to follow. I’m sure that next week the weather conditions will be good and we will be able to continue this start we achieved here.”

#83 Alvaro Carpe
“This first test of the season has been very positive. From the opening hours of the first day we managed to get into the top positions, which allowed us to try out a lot of setups, rather than focusing so much on our fastest lap. In addition, it was very good for me to get to know the team’s working methods better. Whilst it’s a shame not to have been able to ride during Tuesday, we have saved one day of testing to make the most of at another time during the season. Now we are thinking about the three days of testing that await us at Jerez next week.”