The Red Bull KTM Tech3 Moto3™ was already back in the saddle on Friday with Valentin Perrone and Jacob Roulstone kicking off the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera. With round 16 being the last in Europe until November, both riders were eager to make it count in front of a packed crowd, and things started pretty well for the squad, with both Perrone and Roulstone already qualified in Q2.
Grand Prix of San Marino and The Rimini Riviera
Super excited to return to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli after he took the win in the season finale of the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup last season, Valentin Perrone showed competitiveness straight from the opening Free Practice 1 this morning, as he clocked in the 6th fastest time, 0.594 seconds off early pacesetter Jose Antonio Rueda. The young Argentinian confirmed the good feeling later in the afternoon after he claimed the 4th place of Friday’s Practice, with a late improvement in 1'41.114 (+0.518 secs) which will see him head directly to Q2 on Saturday.
New week and new opportunities were lying ahead for Australian Jacob Roulstone after his heartbreaking Grand Prix of Catalonia. The feeling was positive at the end of the opening session this morning, with the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider clocking a best lap in 1'42.075 that had him in P12, less than 1 second to the fastest. The afternoon’s Practice was split into two runs for the Aussie, with the focus being on working out with the used tires on run 1. Jacob’s best lap halfway was a 1’41.786 which had him in a provisional 8th place at pit stop. In the time attacks, Jacob provided an extra effort to improve to a 1'41.332, to claim the 8th place of Practice, as he will join teammate Perrone in Q2 on Saturday morning.
VALENTIN PERRONE: "We are happy with the feeling on the bike. We felt really fast and confident in FP1 this morning, and we could give an extra push in the afternoon. At the start, I was following Jose Antonio Rueda to understand what he is doing differently, how he manages his tires, and I learnt many things from him. In the second run, I caught a group to try doing a good lap, but it was a disaster because many were cutting their efforts in the middle. Eventually, I managed to get a good lap in the final laps, so we are happy with the result and the feeling on this amazing track!"
JACOB ROULSTONE: "Quite happy with today’s effort. We worked well this morning to get up to speed. Then, in the afternoon, we started with used tires and I managed to get a decent pace at the start, although I was a bit surprised by the drop off at the end. In the time attacks, I felt really good, I was happy with how I was riding, and I think that we have a really good setup heading to tomorrow and the rest of the weekend."
PRACTICE SESSION RESULTS
1. David Almansa (SPA), Leopard Racing, 1'40.596
2. Adrian Fernandez (SPA), Leopard Racing, +0.498
3. Joel Kelso (AUS), LEVELUP - MTA, +0.514
4. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.518
8. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.736
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - D. Alonso (COL) - 1'40.184 - 151.8 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - C. Viejer (NED) - 1'40.629 - 151.1 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - D. Alonso (COL) - 1'40.184 - 151.8 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - T. Suzuki (JPN) - 215.1 km/h
