The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo once again make their way directly into Q2 at the Italian Grand Prix. In the morning, the championship leader dominated FP1 of the #ItalianGP, with his team-mate 8th.

Friday saw a positive start for Alvaro Carpe and Jose Antonio Rueda at Mugello, as the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders secured their spots in Q2 for the Italian Grand Prix. Carpe was eighth in the morning session and seventh in Practice, while Rueda topped FP1 and was tenth in the afternoon.

With the asphalt in very good condition, Rueda took control in FP1. Working by himself, the Moto3 World Championship leader repeatedly lowered his best time, gaining an advantage of up to a second over his nearest rival just ten minutes into the session. As the minutes went by, things tightened up, but with several more fast laps he maintained the top spot and his quickest of 15 was a 1:55.924 -albeit nearly two seconds slower than the track record. Carpe also made a great start to the weekend, taking several minutes longer to complete a fast lap, but quickly placing himself in second, behind his teammate. After several changes at the front, he moved back into second place, and in the final stretch, after focusing his work on Sunday’s race, he dropped a few positions, finishing eighth with 13 laps and a 1:56.839 as his best time.

In the afternoon, with much warmer track conditions that reached 50°C on track, Carpe opted for a different tactic than in the morning, making a strong start and pushing for a fast time immediately. He lowered his morning time by almost a second in the first part of the session. In the final minutes, Carpe tried to shave off a few more tenths, but had to settle for a 1:55.916. After fourteen laps, he was seventh, albeit only three tenths off the top time. Rueda undertook a race simulation during his first outing, also trying some specific things, but remained in the Top 10. On his second run, he put in two Time Attack laps, but yellow flags -scrubbing a time just 2 tenths off the frontrunner- and then a mistake on the final corner prevented him from improving his best time. He was eventually tenth with a 1:55.978 from fifteen laps.

After a very hot first taste of the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team is looking forward to Saturday’s Italian Grand Prix with optimism. Although both Alvaro Carpe and Jose Antonio Rueda did not finish the Practice among the fastest, both are hoping to fight for Pole Position tomorrow in Q2, which will take place at 1:15 p.m. (local time) on Saturday. The Moto3 grid will first participate in Free Practice 2, starting at 8:40 a.m.

Practice Results
1. David Almansa (Honda) | 1:55.535
2. Taiyo Furusato (Honda) | 1:55.567 (+0.032)
3. Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM) | 1.55.722 (+0.187)
4. Joel Kelso (KTM) | 1:55.741 (+0.206)
5. Luca Lunetta (Honda) | 1:55.801 (+0.266)
7. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:55.916 (+0.381)
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:55.978 (+0.443)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“The day has been a good one. In the morning, things went as we wanted, and we felt positive, which gave us some leeway to try some things in the afternoon. However, the changes didn’t make us feel completely comfortable, so tomorrow we’ll adjust other details to better prepare for Sunday’s race. Temperatures are high here, so we’ll have to struggle to overcome this heat and try to enjoy it as much as possible.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m very happy with the first day here in Italy. My feeling was good and I felt comfortable, both working alone and sticking behind the group. I felt good overall in Mugello, so we’re ready for a good weekend here if everything goes well. Tomorrow we’ll have to build further on this foundation to get a little closer to the frontrunners and fight for what we want.”