Rueda sets all-time lap record for Moto3 pole

Leading the Championship, winning at home, aiming to make it four in a row – it’s record after record for Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and he smashed the Moto3 lap record for a third pole of 2025 at the GoPro Grand Prix of Aragon.

He heads Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team) on the grid, with Quiles fighting his way through from Q1.

Q1 for Moto3 was all action and with some major names vying for graduation to Q2, there were always going to be disappointments. Quiles put together a succession of strong laps and was down into the 1’57.4s by the chequered flag, booking his slot in the pole shootout. Orevious Aragon winner and teammate Dennis Foggia was another name aiming to move through, along with Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), rookie Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia). Yamanaka and Furusato both joined Quiles but there was a surprise too with Vicente Perez (LEVELUP-MTA) in P4, edging out Foggia, whilst Pini will start from P21.

So, the all important Q2 was up next with a star-studded line-up; pre-session favourites Rueda and David Almansa (Leopard Racing) had a target on their backs as a crucial 15 minutes got underway. Almansa tracked Rueda in the early stages whilst there were two crashers: David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) at Turn 8 with a big highside off-line, and then Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) in the second half of the second sector. After a first flying lap, rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) led the way but it was Quiles on his third lap who was on top.

There was more bad luck for Leopard Racing as Almansa crashed on the exit of Turn 7, a huge shame as he’d been inside the top three all weekend up to that point. With his final flying lap, Rueda then stormed to the top of the times with a new lap record – a 1’56.361 saw him bag another pole position, ahead of Lunetta taking his first front row of 2025. Quiles, having been in Q1, completes the front row with a final flying lap to demote Carpe to the head of Row 2.

Furusato claimed his best qualifying of the year in fifth ahead of another personal best of the year for Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). Almansa, unable to improve due to a late crash, is P7. Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) came good to finishing eighth ahead of Muñoz who, despite crashing, secures the final place on the third row, whilst the top ten is completed by Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), who’ll be one of the first looking to move forward.

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