Rueda returns to winning ways in Assen thriller

Keeping a cool head when it mattered most, Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) came out on top in a crazy Moto3 Grand Prix ahead of David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to extend his championship lead, as the Argentine flag returns to the rostrum for the first time in four years.

Grabbing the first holeshot on Sunday, Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) led teammate and Championship leader Rueda but there was drama behind for Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), who stalled it on the grid from P7. Thankfully, everyone avoided him but the #94’s Dutch GP was done. Rueda had taken over in P1 from his teammate and then, on Lap 2, David Almansa (Leopard Racing) attempted a pass on the #99 at Turn 8 but collided with him; Carpe, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, lost momentum and dropped down to P15. Lap 4 and more contact, this time between Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) at the final chicane, both losing places but staying in the victory chase.

Leading until Lap 9, Rueda relinquished it at Turn 12 to a hard-charging Quiles, the #28 forcing his way through and thus upsetting the polesitter’s rhythm with Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Almansa – albeit briefly for the #22 - putting him back to P4. Fernandez was now pouncing too, ahead of his teammate and then Rueda and into the provisional podium places. A mistake at the end of Lap 11 dropped the #99 further back and he was now down in seventh place, just ahead of Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Lap 15 and the gloves came off as Almansa briefly took P1, barging ahead of Quiles who repaid the favour at Turn 9; heading into Lap 16 at Turn 1, Carpe’s sensational comeback was nearing completion. P3 at Turn 1, he was in the lead at Turn 10 and after swapping paint with the #22 of Almansa, maintained the advantage. Likewise fighting back through, Furusato was eighth and Rueda in the provisional podium spots.

With three laps to go and having hustled his way back through the group, Quiles crashed at Turn 10 and for Almansa, he was shoved wide at Turn 15 by Perrone, sending him back to 13^th place with two to go. Amongst the drama, Rueda and Carpe were back at the front and at the right time heading into the final lap, with Muñoz keeping his powder dry. At the end of the penultimate lap, a big crash for Furusato, Fernandez and Lunetta. The group fragmented, it was down to three at the front: Rueda vs Perrone vs Muñoz.

Into the final sector on the last lap, Muñoz snatched P2 at Turn 15 but due to the previous incident, a red flag was thrown. Results went back to the start of Lap 19, with Rueda declared the winner ahead of Muñoz and Perrone, the first podium of the #73’s career and indeed for Argentina since Mugello in 2021 with Gabriel Rodrigo.

Carpe came back to fourth ahead of Piqueras who salvaged fifth from 16^th on the grid. Despite his off-track excursion on Lap 18, Almansa was sixth ahead of Ogden who was a season-best P7. Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) and teammate Marcos Uriarte claimed a career-first top ten.

Moto3 Dutch GP results!