RUEDA TAKES STUNNING COMEBACK AT SILVERSTONE TO ACHIEVE HIS FIFTH WIN OF THE SEASON

The Moto3 rider managed to overtake all his rivals and achieve the 300th podium for Red Bull KTM Ajo in the World Championship. Carpe, after a great race, was fourth.

Jose Antonio Rueda had a magnificent showing at Silverstone, winning the United Kingdom Grand Prix from the final spot on the grid and achieving the 300th podium for Red Bull KTM Ajo in the World Championship. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider gave a masterclass to practically double his lead at the top of the overall standings, after rival Angel Piqueras crashed out. Teammate Alvaro Carpe took fourth, after a solid race with dozens of overtakes in the leading group.

Rueda was starting from last on the grid, in 26th place, due to yesterday’s penalty. Aware of the need to make a fast fightback, he went to work from the first corner. By the time he passed the first sector, the current leader of the Moto3 class had already passed seven rivals, increasing that to ten by the time he completed the first lap.

After moving to the front of the chasing pack on the second lap, Rueda then caught up with the leaders. Once there, and aware of the strong wind that would make any breakaways at the front impossible, he was able to relax slightly before continuing his task.

Little by little, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider moved up the order, before he took first place with four laps remaining. From there, he began to push hard to stretch the field, as he usually does during this year. Shortly before the final lap, a gap was established behind Rueda and Quiles, which left the top two positions all-but-decided. In the final sector, the young rookie managed to overtake Rueda, but went wide trying to block the inside. Rueda regained the lead before heading down the main straight and taking the chequered flag, achieving victory for the fifth time in seven races.

Carpe set off from Pole Position and was in the front group throughout, fighting tirelessly to stay among the frontrunners. When Joel Kelso and David Muñoz, two of the contenders for podium positions, crashed out in separate incidents, the group stretched a little at the front. With Rueda joining the pack, things closed up and some sixteen riders were dicing for the win. In the final third, the overtaking increased, and Carpe was caught out, dropping to ninth place. He maintained this position until the final lap, when he managed to claw his way back to fourth, repeating the result he had achieved in France two weeks ago.

Once again, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team has made a leap in Silverstone in all the general Moto3 standings. In the overall one, Rueda remains top and has 141 points, 54 ahead of Piqueras. Carpe, with 69, is fourth and continues to lead the way in the Rookie of the Year award chase. Red Bull KTM Ajo are also top of the Team standings, with 210 points -81 clear of their rivals. Round 8 of the Moto3 World Championship will take place at MotorLand Aragon in two weeks’ time, from May 30th to June 1st.

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“What a day! It was a quite emotional Sunday with Jose Antonio’s victory starting from the back. Obviously, after what happened yesterday, we were remembering what Brad Binder did in 2016 at Jerez, and that brought us a lot of extra motivation today. Alvaro worked very hard and well during all the sessions and in general and also did an amazing race today.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

"I’m very happy with the race we had. Today we managed to adapt very well to the weather conditions, as the wind was blowing strongly, but we set up the bike very well and I felt great throughout the race. I can only thank the team, those around me and everyone who supports me, because this victory belongs to everyone. I took making the comeback calmly because I knew the front group wasn’t going to break away, and we also had good pace, so we were able to be patient and attack at the right time"

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The work this weekend was reflected in today’s race. We’d been making a lot of progress with my technicians to ensure today’s setup was the best possible, and the result shows it. At first, it was a bit tricky as the track conditions were still somewhat delicate, but little by little, we overtook riders to keep chasing the leading group. From there, I managed to break away and came very close to making contact with them, but my tyres had nothing left. All in all, it was a very valuable experience. We’re satisfied with the result, and we scored our first fastest lap in the race. So, it was a very positive weekend, and I’m looking forward to continuing this trend, as we’ll ultimately aim for more.”