The Spanish rider completes one of his best rounds of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix. Stand-in rider Milan Pawelec finishes 24th, concluding a weekend of valuable learning.

Jose Antonio Rueda claimed tenth place at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he earned a Top 10 spot for the third time this season and built momentum throughout, finishing just 3 seconds off seventh place. Milan Pawelec learned a lot during his appearance at Motegi, ending his weekend in 24th position.

Conditions at Motegi were somewhat cool and overcast, with a track temperature of just 32°C for the 19-lap Moto2 race.

Rueda started from fifteenth on the grid, and held onto the position off the line. He began to latch onto the Top 10, confident he could deliver a strong second half of the race -having prepared extensively during a long run in Free Practice 2. Past the halfway mark, he moved up to 13th, gradually closing the gap to the three riders battling for 10th place. He managed to overtake them one by one, breaking into the Top 10 during the final third. Following a brief tussle with the group, Rueda pulled away and consolidated his hold on the position. Although he was amongst the fastest six riders for pace late on, and reduced the deficit to 1.9 seconds, he could not catch the rider in ninth place before the end. Tenth place represented his third Top 10 finish of the season, adding to those achieved in the Czech Republic and Germany. The Spaniard extends his lead in the Rookie of the Year standings, where he now holds 37 points and a 15-point advantage over his nearest rival.

Pawelec put in a notable performance, steadily improving throughout the race as he sought a better feeling and more data to maximise his one-off experience at Motegi. The Polish rider stayed close to the main pack for much of the first half of the contest, but gradually lost touch in the second half, eventually crossing the finish line alone in 24th place. He set his fastest lap on the 18th of the 19 laps, demonstrating consistency and solid riding throughout. He remains tied with six other riders in the lower reaches of the Moto2 overall standings.

After some valuable points from Jose Antonio and a weekend full of information for everyone in the box, Red Bull KTM Ajo now sit 10th in the Team standings with 112.5 points. The next stop on the Moto2 World Championship calendar is Indonesia and the Mandalika International Circuit, for the seventeenth round of the 2026 season on October 9-11th.

Race Results
1. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 34:14.675
2. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) | (+0.419)
3. Filip Salac (Kalex) | (+1.057)
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | (+1.247)
5. David Alonso (Kalex) | (+1.554)
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+11.517)
24. Milan Pawelec (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | (+38.626)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2026
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 245.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 235 points
3. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 181.5 points
4. David Alonso (Kalex) | 166 points
5. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 154 points
10. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 75.5 points
18. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 37 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2026
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 397.5 points
2. CFMoto Power Electronics Aspar Team | 320 points
3. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 252.5 points
4. OnlyFans American Racing Team | 188 points
5. QJMotor – JP Financial – MSI | 185.5 points
10. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 112.5 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“I think we can be satisfied with today’s race. Obviously, the weekend was not so easy for Jose Antonio to start with, but he managed to improve throughout the weekend. We’re a little bit disappointed about Qualifying yesterday, because I think if he had a slightly better lap time we would have been close to the Top 5 today, with the pace that he had at the end of the race. In general, he’s making progress all the time and it’s looking good for the future. I think the circumstances for Milan coming here were not the easiest. He had to deal with a new track, new team and new suspension, which is a lot of different things for him. Obviously, that didn’t help him in the beginning, but I think he was getting closer to the front all the time, progressing every day and in every session. It was very nice to have him here, to give him the chance to learn something new on his way to the World Championships, so we’re very proud of his progress and wish him all the best for the future.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m very happy to have ended the weekend this way. I think we managed to pull off our best start of the year, even though I had a slight wobble that cost me two positions. Our pace was very positive; I felt very comfortable and -above all- very strong during the second half of the race, which is the biggest positive takeaway from Japan. We have learned a lot at Motegi, and the progress made day by day and session by session leaves us more than satisfied. We’re leaving with a Top 10 finish that feels great, and it will surely help us as we tackle the upcoming rounds.”

#40 MILAN PAWELEC

“Today we had a hard race. The start was quite good, but it was difficult to follow the group during every lap. The feeling wasn’t the best -it was quite similar to in qualifying- but we managed to maintain a consistent pace from start to finish and bring the bike back; finishing the round without crashing was also important. I want to say a big thank you to Niklas Ajo and the entire team; I really enjoyed working with them. It was great sharing this weekend together. Now I know the work that lies ahead of me to get as fast as these guys, so I’m going to go for it.”