Riccardo Rossi emerged as the leader in the Moto3 Q1 session at the Japanese GP. As a result, the Italian was one of the last four riders to secure a spot in the battle for pole position at Motegi.

After the first flying laps, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) was the leader ahead of Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team/Honda), Mario Aji (Honda Team Asia) and José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo). However, several riders only posted their first lap times later on.

Filippo Farioli (Red Bull KTM Tech3) briefly moved into second place, pushing Rueda out of the qualifying positions, and then had a highside at turn two. Joel Kelso (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) overtook Furusato with six minutes remaining to become the new leader. At the same time, his teammate, Xavi Artigas, moved into third.

Despite improvements in lap times, the top four remained unchanged, with Kelso, Furusato, Artigas, and Farioli holding those positions.

However, this changed in the final two minutes when Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse/Honda) became the new leader, and Rueda moved into fourth. As a result, Artigas fell out of the qualifying zone by 0.039s. The standings didn’t change further until the end, and thus the last four participants in Q2 are Rossi, Kelso, Furusato, and Rueda.

Results:

O conteúdo Riccardo Rossi set the pace of the Moto3 Q1 and moves on to Q2 at Motegi aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Red Bull KTM Ajo have already walked the top of the Moto3 podium on more than one occasion in 2023 to-date and are targeting more distinction next year with a KTM GP Academy rider roster of Jose Antonio Rueda and rookie Xabi Zurutuza.

Aki Ajo’s crew have used their long-established Red Bull KTM Moto3 program to not only bring Grand Prix podium finishes, wins and championships to the brand but also develop the brightest talents from feeder series like the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, FIM JuniorGP and the Northern Talent Cup for the next stages of their careers at the highest level.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s preparation and education of young prospects as well as their custody of KTM’s RC4 motorcycle have created consistently lofty standards. Their team history since the invention of the Moto3 class in 2012 (and even further back with KTM’s 2-stroke technology) involves a glittering list of MotoGP names and athletes that have gone on to major success.

In 2023 Deniz Öncü has claimed race wins and is vying for the team’s fourth Moto3 title. Alongside the Turk, Jose Antonio Rueda has been learning the demands of Moto3. The Spaniard, and former FIM JuniorGP and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion, has been the picture of consistency with eight top ten finishes in twelve rounds, a maiden podium appearance at the Catalan Grand Prix and holds 8th spot in the current Moto3 standings.

The 17-year-old from Sevilla has been progressing with promise but will be the spearhead for the 2024 Moto3 campaign, as well as the reference for another red-hot rookie in the form of Zurutuza. The Basque comes into the squad – and the category – having taken two victories in the 2023 FIM JuniorGP series and is fast becoming one of the standout figures on the European scene.

O conteúdo Jose Antonio Rueda and rookie Xabi Zurutuza on Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 in 2024 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.