The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders place third and fourth in a race where the team deserved a little bit more at Motegi.

Alvaro Carpe finished third in the Japanese Grand Prix, as the race at Motegi was decided late on between the front four riders. Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 teammate Brian Uriarte led for much of the contest and set the fastest lap on the penultimate attempt, but a double Long Lap penalty left him in fourth place.

Conditions at Motegi were somewhat tricky for the 17-lap race, with partly cloudy skies and a track temperature of 35°C. 

Carpe got off the line well from third on the grid, although he briefly dropped to fifth during the opening two laps. Some great overtakes subsequently took him back to third, and following a penalty for his teammate, Carpe let Almansa lead the way, sitting back ready to make a move at any moment. On the final five laps, he settled into third place, waiting to see if those ahead would break away before the end, and lost some ground to the front pair. The Spaniard came home in third place, earning his seventh podium of the season and his twelfth ever in Moto3. He is third in the overall standings with 191 points.

Uriarte held onto second place for the first two laps, before taking the lead for the next two. Behind him, the field began to stretch out, with a lead group of eight riders more than two seconds clear of the chasing pack. As this group was further reduced, Uriarte soon had to relinquish the lead due to a double “Long Lap” penalty, incurred for altering his bike’s setup within the last three minutes before the race: His first such lap dropped him to fifth place, with him serving the second three laps later. That left him 4.8 seconds behind the leaders, rejoining the track in sixth place. Uriarte upped the pace quickly, and shaved nearly a second off the gap to the leaders. He set a new race record of 1:54.710 on the penultimate attempt, just one-tenth of a second off Saturday’s Pole Position time, as he moved up to fourth place before the chequered flag, only one second away from Alvaro. He also remains fourth in the overall standings with 187 points, and leads the Rookie of the Year ranking.

In conclusion, positive Sunday in Japan for the Red Bull KTM Ajo, which had his both riders as a race contenders until the last laps of the race, something always important to keep growing. The team scored crucial points for the Team standings, holding onto second place with a tally of 378 points. The series now moves to the Mandalika International Circuit for the Indonesian Grand Prix on October 9–11th.

Race Results
1. David Almansa (KTM) | 32:45.544
2. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | (+0.046)
3. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+2.738)
4. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+3.610)
5. Rico Salmela (KTM) | (+4.430)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 326 points
2. David Almansa (KTM) | 199 points
3. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 191 points
4. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 187 points
5. Marco Morelli (KTM) | 146 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team | 472 points
2. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 378 points
3. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP| 273 points
4. Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 201 points
5. Level UP – MTA | 162 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“We’re really frustrated today, as I think we had a very good chance to fight for the victory. Unfortunately, a small issue on the grid prevented us from doing that. We had to work on the bike even after the three-minute board had come up and that led to us getting the penalty. It was a very hard decision between starting the race from Pit Lane or having a double long lap penalty. I think it was a very strong Sunday for both riders and also a strong weekend overall. We just lacked that little something again to fight for the victory. We need to work even harder as a team to bounce back, because I think we are on a very good path at the moment, getting closer and closer to fighting for the win all the time. I’m sure that soon we will be at the top again.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“Overall, the weekend went very well. Admittedly, I expected a bit more in the closing stages of the race -something that has been a recurring theme for us lately. We worked hard on this aspect yesterday, and I felt very comfortable heading into the final third of today’s race, but we just couldn’t quite get it done. We need to keep fine-tuning details to close that gap, but we are heading into the final part of the season in great shape, and consistency is vital for that. We’ve taken another podium -making it seven so far this season- and now our focus shifts to Indonesia; it’s a country I really like, and I’m heading there feeling very motivated.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“We’re left with a somewhat bittersweet feeling after looking so strong throughout the race. Things like this happen, and we have to deal with it. I don’t like seeing the people around me sad. There are days when I make mistakes, and days when they will also. It’s part of the process, and all of this will serve us well for the future. Today we had the tools to fight for the win, but I’m sure the rest of the season will give us more opportunities to do so. It’s been a very good weekend; we need to focus on that and keep picking up as many points as possible from here on out.”