The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo secure their place in Q2 in the final minutes of a very close session.

There was a positive start for Alvaro Carpe and Jose Antonio Rueda on what was the first day of the German Grand Prix. The former finished seventh in the afternoon Practice session at a new track for him, whilst Rueda finished tenth to once again secure a place in Q2.

Although the skies at Sachsenring were overcast, Moto3 FP1 was held under perfect conditions, with 27ºC on track.

Rueda decided to employ his customary strategy of riding alone from the outset, to focus on making progress without any references. The Moto3 World Championship leader quickly moved into first place, a position he would hold until the chequered flag fell. With several fast laps, he completed a first stint of 14 laps in a race simulation, before heading to the pits. When he came back out, Rueda was able to test his Time Attack, which allowed him to shave several tenths off his best time to break into the 1:25s. Although it didn’t quite make him the fastest of the session, his 1:25.834 took him to second place after 19 laps, and was less than five tenths off his all-time best in Germany, achieved last year. Carpe took relatively little time to adapt to the characteristics of the Sachsenring. Despite being unfamiliar with the German track, the rookie went into the Top 6 during the first half of the session, demonstrating his ability to be competitive at any circuit. In the final stages, deciding against a Time Attack and focusing on continuing to finetune his bike for the rest of the weekend, Carpe slightly improved, taking 13th place with his 1:26.507. He put in a total of 18 laps.

In the afternoon, conditions improved slightly, with less humidity and temperatures rising by up to 7ºC.

Carpe decided to make an initial surge, getting into the Top 5 during his first run. However, on his second stint he was in danger of missing out on the cut for Q2, and thus had to push by himself to move up the order. Two fast laps in the final minutes lifted him to 12th and then 7th, to secure his place in the fight for pole position on Saturday. He had a definitive time of 1:25.454, more than a second faster than his best from the morning, and completed 19 laps. Rueda once again focused on race simulation work, staying out of the Top 14 but riding with the bigger picture in mind. Once again, he made his push in the final part of Practice, and with a lap of 1:25.566, secured his eleventh direct qualification for Q2 in eleven races. His lap was 3 tenths of a second slower than the morning session, and he put in 18 laps.

After a remarkable first day at Sachsenring, the Moto3 duo are now preparing for a potentially wet Saturday. The action will begin at 8:40 a.m. (local time) with Free Practice 2, with Q2 to follow at 1:15 p.m.

Practice Results
1. David Muñoz (KTM) | 1:24.767
2. David Almansa (Honda) | 1:25.127 (+0.360)
3. Scott Ogden (KTM) | 1:25.172 (+0.405)
4. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 1:25.220 (+0.453)
5. Jacob Roulstone (KTM) | 1:25.264 (+0.497)
7. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:25.454 (+0.687)
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:25.566 (+0.799)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We didn’t quite nail our fastest lap, but it got us into Q2, so tomorrow we’ll try to take another step forward. When I changed tyres, I had much more grip for a while, and it took me a bit to get used to the change. At least now we know how degradation will affect things in Sunday’s race, which looks like it will be dry, so we’ve gathered important data with which to continue improving. This is not a track where you need a slipstream to set a good time, so I’m confident we’ll take a step forward tomorrow.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“This is a track that felt strange to me at first. It took me a bit of time to adapt, but I think we worked well on the setup, and the progress has been good throughout the day. In Practice, I was able to put in two good solo laps, so I’m happy with my speed and also my pace. We’ll have to see what the weather does, but we’re happy for now and ready for Saturday.”