Our 2025 edition of the Australian Grand Prix has already come to an end for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 Moto3™ team, and unfortunately we did not get the results we were hoping for. Jacob Roulstone’s home race sadly came to an early end as he crashed out at lap 4 while in 3rd after an unbelievable start, as we saw the Aussie gain 10 positions in just 3 laps of racing, a great shame for Roulstone in front of his home crowd. The weekend in Phillip Island was tricky from start to finish for Valentin Perrone, who finished 20th in Australia.
Grand Prix of Australia
Lining up in 13th on the grid with his beloved grand-mother doing him the honours to hold the umbrella for him on the grid, Australian Jacob Roulstone was excited to go racing on the island, although tricky and windy conditions awaited the lightweight class. At lights out, Jacob took a good start to hold it tight within his group, and he had already gained one position in the first sector to 12th close behind Matteo Bertelle, and it did not take him long to move past both Bertelle and Morelli in the next sequence. Then Angel Piqueras was next as Jacob entered lap 2 in P9, already. Confident and aggressive, the Australian was determined to make this one count, and neither Joel Esteban nor Alvaro Carpe could stop him from moving up to 7th. Luca Lunetta was next as he was now in 6th, and one more was overtaken, Taiyo Furusato, at the exit of lap 2. P5 for Jacob after two laps, with a boiling hot lap in 1’35.634! Roulstone’s early pace was impressive, and that allowed him to quickly catch the front group until he was in the back wheel of Maximo Quiles, whom he sharply passed through entering lap 3. At the front, fellow country man Joel Kelso had taken the lead from the pole position, followed by Jose Antonio Rueda and Adrian Fernandez. Unfortunately, as he made another bold overtake on Fernandez to move up to provisional 3rd, Jacob Roulstone got caught by the tricky wind with no one left in front of him, and he crashed on lap 4, calling it an early end to his home race. Such a shame for the local boy, but he gave it all during these 3 laps!
Coming back from his crash in Indonesia, the Australian Grand Prix was a tricky one for rookie Valentin Perrone, who was looking to rebuild confidence on the bike. Qualified in 22nd on the grid, the young number 73 did a good start as he jumped to 18th in one lap, and then he was at the door of the point-scoring positions, in 16th, after 4 laps of racing. The pace was good in the early laps, but somehow the young rider started to struggle a bit settling into a decent pace, as a small gap was slowly digging itself to his rivals ahead. After ten laps, Valentin sat in 17th, but we saw him progressively lose rhythm as he dropped a few positions. He eventually saw the checkered flag in P20. Not the best weekend for our young rookie who has way more potential than that, but it was one for the learnings, and we will try to come back stronger in the next round, as we are next headed to the Sepang International Circuit for the Grand Prix of Malaysia, next week!
JACOB ROULSTONE: "Really heartbroken with today’s race, but it is racing. Today, I felt like I was in my element, I felt like I had something against the other boys, and I proved it in the short time that I spent on track, with a very tricky wind, so we can be happy. I left it all out there, but I think that I misjudged the wind, as I crashed as soon as I did not have anyone in front, and I got called out. A lot of things to take away of course, it is a very tricky time for myself, but I keep pushing, I keep going! It was amazing to have all the family and the friends here, I loved it all."
VALENTIN PERRONE: "Today was a super difficult race for us. For sure, the end position is not really what I expected. We had a good start, the first few laps were positive, but then I began struggling a bit more with the rear, I was losing grip and a lot of time in the last two corners. Anyway, the feeling in the race was better than the two previous days, I was feeling confident, but as always, when I needed to open the throttle, I was struggling a lot, sliding, and I could not turn the bike properly in the fast corners. It is something that we need to improve, we know it, so we are working on it with my team! Anyway, we have learnt a lot, and I am excited for Malaysia next week!"
NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "It was a tricky weekend overall for our Moto3 team in Phillip Island! It was the first time that Valentin Perrone was back on the bike since his crash in Mandalika, so it took a bit of time for him to get back to speed, and we know that this track is far from an easy one. We had some rain in both morning sessions on Friday and Saturday, so it did not really help him to rebuild his confidence. The target of today’s race was to finish it, regain the confidence with the bike without any crash, and we will start pushing again in the next race. You have highs and lows in the season, it is part of the learning process, and Valentin learnt how to manage one of these moments today. Jacob Roulstone really wanted to bring a strong result for his home race. Starting from 13th, we knew he had good chances to do a good race. He had a really strong start, gained many positions to 3rd, but unfortunately he crashed. It is a great shame, because he showed really great speed in the first 3 laps, but he will have another chance next week already, as we are heading to Malaysia for the last round overseas!"
RACE RESULTS
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 33'39.062
2. Joel Kelso (AUS), LEVELUP-MTA, +0.829
3. Alvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +12.638
20. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +33.921
DNF. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 18 laps
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 365pts
2. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 231pts
3. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Aspar Team, 228pts
9. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 121pts
15. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 61pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2025 - J. Kelso (AUS) - 1’34.056 - 170.2 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - S. Nepa (ITA)- 1’35.370 - 167.9 km/h
Best Pole: 2025 - J. Kelso (AUS) - 1’34.056 - 170.2 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - J. Rueda (SPA) - 254.9 km/h
