It was a tight Moto3™ race at the Grand Prix of Catalonia on Sunday, with many exciting battles going on Sunday morning during 18 laps. While Angel Piqueras came out on top as Jose Antonio Rueda and Taiyo Furusato completed the Catalan podium, Valentin Perrone from the Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad completed the top 10 after holding it on all race long with the front group, to bring home some valuable points. The luck was sadly not on Jacob Roulstone’s side, forced to retire on lap 10 following a technical issue.
Grand Prix of Catalonia
As expected, it was a big group which formed itself as lights went out at 11:00 local time at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. As he gained one position on the grid following a grid penalty given to another rider, Valentin Perrone took a really good start from 14th as he gained 5 places in the opening lap to 9th, overcoming in the process teammate Jacob Roulstone. However, he lost two positions a few laps later, to sit just outside of the top 10 after five laps of racing, 0.4 seconds behind Jose Antonio Rueda, already coming back after completing a long lap penalty. After ten laps, Valentin remained in 11th, very close behind Alvaro Carpe, as we still had a big front group of 14 riders, closed by Joel Kelso. The young Argentinian gained confidence mid-race, and he began to increase his race pace with solid lap times. He rode the fastest lap of the race - at the time - in 1’47.957 on lap 13, one lap that helped him move to 8th and keep the contact with Ryusei Yamanaka ahead. Four laps remained, and we saw all riders start to prepare for the final laps. Jose Antonio Rueda was now at the front, leading Angel Piqueras and Adrian Fernandez. Valentin dropped to the back of the front group, reduced to just 9 riders now. The young Coyote was on the lookout for opportunities, and he had gained one position entering the final lap, now finding himself behind David Muñoz, but he dropped back to 9th at the first corner. Unfortunately, a late contact with other riders gave Kelso the opportunity to move past, and that was P10 for Perrone at the checkered flag. It is a solid top 10 result for the young rookie after a race spent battling it out within the big group, and he will look forward to heading to the next round in Misano to continue the good work!
As he also gained one position on the grid to P10, Jacob Roulstone earned one spot to 9th at the exit of the first corner, but he eventually lost it in the next sequence to exit the first lap in his initial grid position. A few positions were dropped in the next lap, but the battles in the group were going all over the place, and Roulstone moved back to 9th ahead of teammate Perrone. Jacob was delivering a solid early race pace, and he was second fastest of lap 5 which allowed him to progress to 7th, very close to Muñoz. Meanwhile at the front, polesitter David Almansa was leading charges from the beginning, with Maximo Quiles already in 2nd after a solid start from P9. After 9 laps, Jacob sat in 10th just ahead of teammate Perrone, but unfortunately he was forced to retire from the race on lap 10 following a technical issue. Great shame for the number 12 who really wanted that good result in Catalonia. Luckily, he will already have another chance next week, as the team will now head to the iconic Misano World Circuit for the Grand Prix of San Marino on September 12-13-14, the last round in Europe before the flyaway races.
VALENTIN PERRONE: "Difficult race with a big group! Our start was not great, I tried to make some overtakes, but I struggled a bit. We gave everything we had to fight for the podium and stay with the front group, but I felt on the limit most of the race. Top 10 is not bad, we want more of course, but we have learnt a lot today, and we will continue learning and pushing in the next races. I love Misano, I won there last year at the last round of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, so let's try to fight for a good result before going overseas!"
JACOB ROULSTONE: "Really unfortunate once again. It seems that when everything is going good, I can't catch any luck. I don't know how many ladders I walked under this year, but I am really upset. It is the third time this year that I am having this issue, I know it is out of the team's control, so it's just a really big shame. I felt really strong from lap 1, I showed top speed, so it is sad. Luckily, we already have another chance next week in Misano, and we will want to show our potential."
HERVE PONCHARAL, Team Principal: "Coming from Hungary, we were hoping to keep the momentum going of course, but every weekend is different. Although Valentin Perrone was fastest on Friday's Practice, we knew that the feeling was not quite the same as the previous rounds. Qualifying was a bit messy, but we were hoping to catch the front group and fight with them, which Valentin did today. He raced really well, held on with the group, he even rode the second fastest race lap, but he was never in the position to reach the top 5. Entering the last lap, he touched two riders and ended up P10, which is good enough when we remember he is a rookie. We have been used to better results and emotions of course, but we are learning, and we are happy with today, although we want to come back to the feeling we had in Hungary. I am very proud of Valentin and how he managed this weekend. Of course, it is a huge disappointment for Jacob Roulstone. The pace has been good all weekend, he took a good start to stay close with the front group, but unfortunately a technical issue forced him to retire. Although it was a brand new engine from Saturday, it stopped, so our duty is to understand internally what happened, because Jacob had strong potential this weekend, so it's a great shame. Meanwhile, let's regroup, and do better in Italy next week."
RACE RESULTS
1. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 32'40.243
2. Jose Antonio Rueda, Red Bull KTM Ajo, +0.081
3. Taiyo Furusato (JPN), Honda Team Asia, +0.156
10. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.289
DNF. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 9 laps
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 270pts
2. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 206pts
3. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 168pts
10. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 98pts
16. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 42pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - D. Alonso (COL) - 1'45.905 - 158.3 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - J. Rueda (SPA) - 1'46.748 - 157.0 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - D. Alonso (COL) - 1’45.905 - 158.3 km/h
Top Speed: 2023 - D. Holgado (SPA) - 255.9 - km/h
