In a race defined by chaos, comebacks and crashing contenders, Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) kept his cool to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Championship leader outlasted the madness to finish ahead of David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with the Argentine making history by taking his first Moto3™ podium — and the first for Argentina since Gabriel Rodrigo at Mugello in 2021.
Early drama strikes the grid
It was Rueda’s teammate Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who grabbed the holeshot from pole, while Rueda slotted into second. Behind, trouble brewed immediately as Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) stalled from seventh. He was thankfully avoided but retired from of the race.
Lap 2 brought even more chaos. David Almansa (Leopard Racing) lunged at Rueda at Turn 8 and collided with him, while Carpe, caught in the aftermath, lost momentum and tumbled to 15th. Then, on Lap 4, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) made contact at the final chicane, both losing ground but continuing.
The race explodes at half distance
Rueda led until Lap 9 before being passed by a charging Maximo Quiles, whose aggression shook up the lead group. Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) joined the front pack as Rueda briefly slipped to seventh, regrouping just ahead of Perrone.
Lap 15 saw full elbows-out racing. Almansa muscled into the lead but Quiles hit back at Turn 9. A lap later, Carpe’s stunning recovery peaked as he surged to the front after diving past Almansa at Turn 10.
Final laps deliver fireworks
With three laps to go, everything unravelled. Quiles crashed out at Turn 10. Moments later, Perrone barged Almansa wide at Turn 15, sending the Leopard rider back to 13th. As the group fractured, Rueda and Carpe were back in the fight at the perfect moment.
But even more carnage followed — a big crash involving Furusato, Fernandez, and Luca Lunetta (Sic58 Squadra Corse) at the end of Lap 18 brought out the red flag. With results taken back to the last completed lap, Rueda was declared the winner, just ahead of Muñoz and a jubilant Perrone. Injury update: At the time of writing it is understood that Lunetta has multiple leg fractures which he sustained when Fernandez clipped him while on the ground.
The rest of the top ten
Carpe came home fourth after a rollercoaster ride, while Piqueras fought back to fifth from P16 on the grid. Despite being pushed wide late in the race, Almansa recovered to sixth. Scott Ogden secured a season-best seventh place, ahead of Dennis Foggia (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team), Joel Kelso (LevelUp-MTA), and Marcos Uriarte (LevelUp-MTA), who celebrated a first top ten finish.
🇳🇱 Moto3™ – Dutch GP: Final Classification (Top 15)
TT Circuit Assen | Red flag – results taken at end of Lap 18
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time/Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Antonio Rueda | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 32:12.319 | 25 |
| 2 | David Muñoz | LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP | +0.144 | 20 |
| 3 | Valentin Perrone | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +0.245 | 16 |
| 4 | Alvaro Carpe | Red Bull KTM Ajo | +1.087 | 13 |
| 5 | Angel Piqueras | FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | +1.296 | 11 |
| 6 | David Almansa | Leopard Racing | +2.083 | 10 |
| 7 | Scott Ogden | CIP Green Power | +2.234 | 9 |
| 8 | Dennis Foggia | CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team | +5.034 | 8 |
| 9 | Joel Kelso | LEVELUP-MTA | +5.755 | 7 |
| 10 | Marcos Uriarte | LEVELUP-MTA | +6.318 | 6 |
| 11 | Ryusei Yamanaka | FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI | +7.002 | 5 |
| 12 | Jacob Roulstone | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +8.555 | 4 |
| 13 | Stefano Nepa | SIC58 Squadra Corse | +12.395 | 3 |
| 14 | Riccardo Rossi | Rivacold Snipers Team | +12.675 | 2 |
| 15 | Maximo Quiles | CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team | +24.394 | 1 |
Title photo credit: Pirelli Press office
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