José Antonio Rueda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Los Palacios y Villafranca, Spain
| José Antonio Rueda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Rueda in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Spanish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 October 2005 Los Palacios y Villafranca, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Red Bull KTM Ajo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 98 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
José Antonio Rueda Ruiz (born 29 October 2005) is a Spanish motorcycle racer who competes for Red Bull KTM Ajo in the Moto3 World Championship.[1] He is the 2022 JuniorGP and 2022 Red Bull Rookies champion.[2] He won the 2025 Moto3 World Championship after a red flagged Indonesian GP race and became the first Andalusian rider to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship.[3]
Rueda was born in Los Chapatales, a hamlet located outside Los Palacios y Villafranca in the Province of Seville.[3]
Career
Early career
In 2021, Rueda made his debut in the FIM JuniorGP World Championship racing for Honda. In his first season he obtained two podiums and finished eighth in the standings. For the Valencian Community Grand Prix he was called by the Indonesian Racing Gresini team to race in Moto3. He was forced to retire in his debut in the world championship.[4]
The following year, Rueda remained in the JuniorGP series by moving to the Estrella Galicia 0,0 team. His second season proved to be very positive, obtaining five victories and winning the championship.[5] The same year he participated in the MotoGP Rookies Cup, Rueda obtained three victories and became champion ahead of Collin Veijer.[6] He also returned to the world championship, racing in the French Grand Prix for the Rivacold Snipers team, where he finished twenty-first on the Honda NSF250R.[7]
Moto3 World Championship
For the 2023 season, Rueda was hired by the Red Bull KTM Ajo team for his first full season in Moto3.[8] He immediately proved to be fast from the tests on the Portimão circuit and in the first race of the season in Portimão he obtained his first points in the MotoGP championship, finishing fourth.[9] He achieved his first podium at the Catalan Grand Prix and, with one hundred and twenty-one points, he finished in ninth place.[10]
The following year, Rueda remained with the team for his second full season in Moto3. In Portugal he obtained the pole position and in the race he obtained his second podium in Moto3, finishing second behind Daniel Holgado.[11] Shortly before the Grand Prix of the Americas, the rider was forced to undergo emergency surgery on his appendix.[12] After missing only two Grands Prix, he returned to the world championship and, at the Aragon Grand Prix,[13] he achieved his first world championship victory and then finished the championship in seventh position.[14]
During a sighting lap ahead of the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix he crashed heavily into the back of Noah Dettwiler's bike. Both of them suffered severe injuries and were airlifted by helicopter from the track to a local hospital.[15] Rueda suffered a fracture to his hand and a severe concussion.[16]
Moto2 World Championship
On 17 September 2025, it was announced that Rueda would move up to Moto2 with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team for the 2026 season, to replace the outgoing Deniz Öncü.[17]
