The Italian finishes the German GP in fifth position, with Marcel Schrötter seventeenth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo concluded the last round before the summer break on Sunday. Sachsenring witnessed a great race by Celestino Vietti, who fought for the podium until the last corner, finishing in fifth position. Marcel Schrötter completed his home Grand Prix with a good feeling and a 17th place.

Vietti started the race from pole position, having earned the spot after going through Q1 on Saturday. He got off the line well and pushed hard on the opening laps, returning to the lead and then breaking away. However, after the midway point he was overtaken, although he remained in the podium positions. Vietti was still in with a chance of the rostrum until the final corner, but missed out and placed fifth. Nevertheless, it was his best result of the season and his best ever at the German track.

Schrötter was riding at his home Grand Prix. The Red Bull KTM Ajo stand-in rider had gone from strength to strength throughout the weekend, and on Sunday had a solid performance and a good feeling. He tried to manage his tyres optimally to reach the points over the course of the 25 laps, but a collision with another rider caused him to drop down the order when fighting to score points. He crossed the finish line in 17th place.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team now begin the summer break, and will return to competition in three weeks with the British Grand Prix.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“We are very happy about how Celestino managed today’s race. In the last few races we have understood more and more the new package and he made great progress in each session. Even though we didn’t get the podium, he was very fast today and he improved lap by lap. We are confident and we are sure that we can fight for better results in the future. Marcel has once again shown the talent that he has and that he already demonstrated in Moto2 in the last few years. He had a solid weekend and even closed the gap to other riders, fighting for points. We would like to thank him for his work with us during these weeks together, and wish him the best of luck for the future”.

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“I am really happy with the weekend at this difficult track. We have done a good job and have improved a lot. We have closed the gap to those in front and we achieved pole, so it has been a great GP. During the race I tried everything -maybe too much in the beginning, because I lost some tyre grip at the end, but I tried to fight. We go into the break with a very positive feeling, so we’re looking forward to keeping this going for the rest of the season.”

#32 MARCEL SCHRÖTTER

“First of all, thank you to everyone who has supported me: To Aki Ajo and everyone inside the team. It’s a pleasure to work with them. The goal today was to get into the points and it was not posible, so I am a bit disappointed, especially at my home GP. I tried to save the tyres to be stronger at the end, but that plan didn’t work out. Unfortunately, I also got clipped by another rider and I lost positions, but that’s racing. Again, thank you so much.”

Jose Antonio Rueda retires when fighting for victory, while Xabi Zurutuza places sixteenth.

The German Grand Prix did not end as hoped for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo. Jose Antonio Rueda battled for the win in a outstanding performance but a crash with two laps remaining ended his chances of returning to the podium. Xabi Zurutuza climbed up the order to place just outside the points after being sixteenth.

Rueda started the Moto3 race from the second row of the grid. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider maintained a spot in the front group and, after four laps, moved into third position. Amidst constant changes of positions and an intense fight for the Top 3, he dropped down to sixth and then rose to second, keeping the race leader in his sights and fighting for his first victory in the category. With only two laps remaining, a mechanical issue denied him the chance of his first win in the class.

Zurutuza faced a difficult race at the Sachsenring. The Moto3 rookie, who started from seventeenth place, lost some positions off the line, although he was able to recover and in the first laps he made up positions. Zurutuza tried to recover as many positions as possible before the long lap penalty received on Saturday. After completing them, Zurutuza tried to recover once again and once more made up positions, keeping a solid pace race. In the end, the young Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was just outside the points, finishing sixteenth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo will return to action in three weeks, for the BritishGP at Silverstone.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“Rueda has improved more and more with his riding style in practice and in the race. He was one of the best riders this weekend and also in the previous races. Unfortunately he crashed on the last few laps due to a technical issue, but we are glad to see that he is ok. We can be confident and we know that we can fight for the podium -and even the victory- in the next few races. Xabi faced a new track and Sachsenring is a special one. His race was solid despite the two long laps, as many other riders received the same penalty. He was able to reduce the gap and he was close to the points, so we will keep this progress up for the races after the summer break.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“In today’s race we made a very good start and we managed to be at the front from the beginning, fighting for the Top 3. I am very happy overall, since I think I could have won or at least been on the podium. With two laps to go I had technical problems with the bike and I couldn’t finish the race. I feel good, but we leave here with a bittersweet taste because it was very bad luck. That’s racing.”

#85 XABI ZURUTUZA

“It has been a Grand Prix full of ups and downs, where we have learned from the mistakes made and for which I have been penalised. These mistakes hurt me in the race, so I have to learn from them to be able to achieve better results. In the race we tried to push as hard as possible in a group of 5/6 riders. We have tried to find our rhythm. It is not the position we would have liked, but we have to keep learning and little by little we will improve.”