The Red Bull KTM Tech3 Moto3™ team successfully completed the first European round of the season on Sunday at the Gran Premio de España in Jerez, with Jacob Roulstone and Valentin Perrone respectively finishing 9th and 10th, to score valuable championship points ahead of the team’s home round in Le Mans in two weeks.
Grand Prix of Spain
Originally qualified in 8th, Australian Jacob Roulstone finally launched himself from 7th on Sunday following a penalty given to another rider, as lights of the Moto3™ race went out at 11am local time. Placed on the left, the Australian struggled to quickly find a path through the first corners and we saw him drop to P11 after one lap. With one long lap penalty to complete following slow riding on Saturday, Jacob dropped to P14 after 3 laps behind Nicola Carraro, with a gap of 0.9 seconds. 16 laps to go to catch back with the front group. Soon, he moved past Scott Ogden to eventually find himself 2 seconds from his teammate Valentin Perrone. Riding at a slightly faster pace than the young Argentinian, Jacob progressively closed the gap on the #73. As 6 laps remained, he was now 0.225 seconds behind, and sooner than later, he could move past his teammate. That meant P9 for Jacob who found himself at the lead of the chasing group, as Luca Lunetta dropped to P11. A mistake from the Australian unfortunately saw him lose all the work done. That was P12 with 3 laps to go! He onced again overtook Scott Ogden to exit lap 17 in 11th, close in the back wheel of teammate Perrone. In a brilliant last effort in the final lap, he could move past Perrone in sector 2, and in the following one, he also found a way through Lunetta to eventually see the checkered flag in 9th. Great work from the Aussie to make it back to the top 10, a positive result heading to the next round in Le Mans.
Rookie Valentin Perrone moved up to row 3 in P9 on the grid instead of his original 10th qualifying place, offering him different perspectives for the race start. Valentin took a strong start to 7th behind Joel Kelso. Unfortunately, just like his teammate, Perrone had to complete a long lap penalty for slow riding in qualifying, and he dropped to P10 once that penalty was completed. He found himself second of the chasing group led by Luca Lunetta, almost 2 seconds away from the leading group carried by pole sitter Jose Antonio Rueda. Valentin held on to a solid pace which allowed him to keep contact with Lunetta, while the gap to 8th had considerably grown after 11 laps (+6 seconds). Valentin started to lose a bit of rhythm as the end approached, and that left the opportunity to teammate Jacob to overtake him. He found himself in 10th a few laps to the end, but Lunetta got back his position lost earlier, meaning Valentin was in 10th with 4 laps to the checkered flag. Two laps to go, and the Argentinian was completely in the back wheel of Lunetta, trying to find the opportunity to make a final move to bag one more point. He successfully did so, but a last effort from Jacob Roulstone from behind saw him being overtaken in the final lap, to eventually see the rookie get his first Moto3™ top 10! Strong race for the young rider, who will look forward to continuing the progress in two weeks, as we head to the team’s home round in Le Mans, the French Grand Prix on May 9-11, 2025.
JACOB ROULSTONE: "I am disappointed with my first laps, the start was not as we wanted, I made too many mistakes, and obviously we had to complete the long lap penalty. Once done, I put my head down, focused on my pace with the goal to close the gap ahead. I could win the group battle which I am happy with. Our confidence on the bike and our riding ability have continued to improve, so I feel really good heading to the next round in Le Mans."
VALENTIN PERRONE: "We took a really good start to the race and we were in P7 with the front group, which I was really happy about. Then I lost positions with the long lap penalty. I was behind Luca Lunetta, trying to catch him to catch back the front group, but we had a little contact so I calmed down and tried to think about the end of the race and save my tyres. Jacob passed me in the end, but I also saw an opportunity to go past Lunetta when Jacob went through, to take my first top 10, which I am really happy with!"
HERVE PONCHARAL, Team Principal: "We are really happy to be back in Europe and meet again our incredible Spanish fans always coming in big numbers to support our riders. Both Jacob Roulstone and Valentin Perrone did a good job all weekend, both directly in Q2 after Friday before qualifying in 8th and 10th. That gave them a better opportunity to fight with the front in the race. Unfortunately, they both took a long lap penalty to complete at the beginning of the race, so they lost the benefits of their grid positions in a few laps. Jacob's start was not great, he lost positions, but then he put his head down, focused, and rode at a decent pace, which allowed him to catch back his teammate. He finished in P9 after two solid last laps, which is great, but for sure we could have hoped for better without the long lap penalty. Valentin Perrone did a really good start, to 7th after a few turns, and he kept the contact with the front group, but his long lap penalty saw him drop back. The race scenario was not the same anymore, he battled for the lead of the chasing group. He rode at a decent pace, did not give up and scored his first top 10 in Moto3, which is a great achievement for a rookie. Anyway, it is a solid team's result with both riders in the top 10, we move up by one position in the championship standings, and I am sure that these results will give both Jacob and Valentin even more confidence heading to the next round in Le Mans!"
RACE RESULTS
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 33'17.979
2. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, +4.434
3. Joel Kelso (AUS), Level-Up MTA, +4.486
9. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +21.703
10. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +21.795
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 91pts
2. Angel Piqueras (SPA), MT Helmets - MSI, 87pts
3. Joel Kelso (AUS), Level-up - MTA, 57pts
18. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 11pts
24. Valentin Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 7pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - D. Alonso (COL) - 1'43.710 - 153.5 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2025 - J Rueda (SPA) - 1'44.352 - 152.5 km/h
Best Pole: 2025 - J Rueda (SPA) - 1'43.755 - 153.4 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - A. Fernandez (SPA) - 221.3 km/h
