Rueda Makes It 10 as Kelso Shines on Home Soil

Ten wins. One champion. One unforgettable Phillip Island showdown.
José Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) once again proved why the #99 is in a league of his own, fending off home hero Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) to take a commanding victory in front of a roaring Australian crowd. With the win, Rueda extends his extraordinary record to double-digit victories in 2025, while Red Bull KTM Ajo wrapped up the Teams’ Championship in style with both riders on the podium.

The drama began the moment the lights went out. Starting from pole, Kelso briefly lost out into Turn 1 but wasted no time in reclaiming control, diving back underneath Rueda at Turn 2. The Aussie crowd erupted as their local star hit the front, determined to make life as difficult as possible for the newly crowned World Champion. Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) slotted into third early on, while behind them, the pair at the front immediately began stretching their legs.

By the end of the second lap, Kelso and Rueda had already pulled more than a second clear of the chasing group. Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) added to the local excitement by moving into fourth, setting the fastest lap in the process, only for his race to end early with a crash at Turn 6. Meanwhile, Ángel Piqueras’ title hopes took another blow as a huge moment at the final corner sent him through gravel and grass, dropping him from podium contention to 24th.

Up front, it was a two-rider race. Rueda seized the lead on Lap 7 and never looked back. The gap grew relentlessly — 3.8 seconds by Lap 7, 5.6 by Lap 9, and more than 7 seconds entering the final stages. Yet Kelso clung on, refusing to let the Spaniard disappear completely, keeping within striking distance and delighting the home fans with every lap.

Behind them, the scrap for the final podium spot was a classic Phillip Island Moto3 brawl. Quiles, Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Joel Esteban (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), David Almansa (Leopard Racing), and Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP-MTA) all jostled furiously — sometimes swapping places three times in a single sector.

With five laps to go, Kelso briefly lost a couple of tenths to Rueda but clawed them straight back the next lap. Starting the final lap, the gap was 0.4s — the biggest it had been all race. The Aussie tried everything, but Rueda’s trademark precision and racecraft sealed the deal. The Spaniard didn’t put a wheel wrong, taking the chequered flag to claim his 10th win of the season and continue his unstoppable form.

Kelso’s second place gave the crowd plenty to cheer, while Carpe emerged victorious from the multi-rider brawl to secure third, completing a dream day for the Ajo team. Esteban claimed a career-best fourth, a brilliant stand-in ride for Foggia, ahead of Quiles in fifth. Fernandez, Lunetta, Furusato, Almansa and Bertelle rounded out the top 10.

Further back, Cormac Buchanan gave local fans even more reason to cheer, finishing eleventh in a strong performance for the Kiwi. Guido Pini came home twelfth, Nicola Carraro thirteenth, Scott Ogden fourteenth, and Stefano Nepa completed the point scorers in fifteenth.

The Phillip Island round showcased the very best of Moto3 — breathtaking pace at the front, elbows-out racing in the pack, and a crowd on its feet. Rueda stands tall as the dominant force of 2025, Kelso showed a strong performance at home.