A very positive race sees the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie take four points at KTM’s home Grand Prix to keep the Moto2 rookies lead.

Jose Antonio Rueda finished twelfth at the Austrian Grand Prix, returning to the points after three challenging rounds, keeping his lead in the rookies’ standings and rounding off a very positive weekend at KTM’s home race.

Conditions were among the best of the weekend for the Moto2 race, with track temperatures slightly above 20°C.

Rueda made a great start, moving from ninth on the grid to eighth at the first corner, although a bottleneck at turns 2A and 2B pushed him back to 13th place. After settling into the pack following a tense opening few laps, on a circuit featuring heavy braking areas, the Spaniard found himself battling Aaron Canet for twelfth place. There was a gap of over three seconds to the group behind them, allowing plenty of breathing room to secure a Top 15 finish.

Past the halfway mark, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider managed to overtake Canet and lead the duo, and on the final three laps he had to fend off his compatriot for 12th place. A small error by his rival allowed Rueda to consolidate the position and finish in the points for the seventh time this season, matching his fourth-best result in the class in the process. With these four points, the Spaniard reaches a total of 31 in the overall standings, where he remains 18th. He has a 8.5-point lead over his closest rival in the Rookie of the Year ranking.

Red Bull KTM Ajo leave their home Grand Prix with four more points on the board, following three difficult weekends for Rueda. They hold ninth place in the Team standings with 106.5 points. Hoping for a speedy recovery from the injured Collin Veijer, they now have a week off before heading to Asia, where the season’s overseas leg begins. Mobility Resort Motegi will host the first of these rounds, the Japanese Grand Prix, from October 2nd to 4th.

Race Results
1. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 35.53.421
2. Filip Salac (Kalex) | (+1.728)
3. David Alonso (Kalex) | (+2.945)
4. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex | (+4.289)
5. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | (+4.868)
12. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+21.628)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 245.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 210 points
3. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 168.5 points
4. David Alonso (Kalex) | 155 points
5. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 149 points
10. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 75.5 points
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 31 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 394.5 points
2. CFMoto Aspar Inde Team | 301 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 227.5 points
4. QJMotor – Campolor – MSI | 172.5 points
5. OnlyFans American Racing Team | 172 points
9. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 106.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was a very bittersweet weekend here at our home round in Austria. Collin, unfortunately, got injured already in the first Practice and that meant that we were only fighting with one rider here. However, I think Jose Antonio had a positive weekend. He managed to qualify really well in 9th position yesterday and also finished the race in good shape. Maybe he lacked something on the first lap of the race and lost a few positions, but after that, he was able to maintain the pace to fight for the positions close to the Top 10. We hope Collin will have a successful surgery tomorrow in Barcelona and we are wishing that he can be back already in Japan. In any case, we hope for a speedy recovery for him and hope he’s back as soon as possible.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I didn’t feel quite as good today as I did yesterday on the bike. I think we were missing a little something to really fight for the Top 10. I got a good start and moved up to eighth, but I left the door open at Turn 3 and a few riders got past me; that caused me to lose some touch with the group fighting for tenth place. From that point on, we managed to settle in, stay consistent, and secure some important points, so the overall assessment is very positive. Getting back into the Top 15 after some tough races is vital and something to be really pleased about, so I’m highly motivated heading into the overseas rounds coming up over the next few weeks.”