Get to know the #99’s path up the Road to MotoGP™ as he’s crowned 2025 Moto3 World Champion in Indonesia.
Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is the 2025 Moto3 World Champion! The #99 has mixed domination with consistency to wrap up the crown with four races still to go this season, with his win in a dramatic Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia sealing the deal.
Off to a flying start
Rueda’s talent was clear all the way up the Road to MotoGP™. In 2018, he began to make his mark in the European Talent Cup, winning and taking podiums in his two seasons there before moving up to JuniorGP™ for 2020. After a season of adaptation, he took podiums in 2021 to set himself up as a Championship challenger the following year – and he took the JuniorGP™ crown as well as winning the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in the same year, the first rider to do that.
Rookie impressions
Rueda made the full-time leap to the Moto3™ World Championship in 2023 with longstanding frontrunners Red Bull KTM Ajo. A podium in Barcelona was a highlight and he finished the year in the top ten overall, but 2024 was a more difficult story. Appendicitis, crashes, and technical problems interrupted his season, but he nevertheless still took his first GP win at MotorLand – becoming the 400th GP winner across all classes.
Potential: fulfilled
2025 saw Rueda shoot out the blocks as the rider to beat. He won in Thailand, took a podium in Argentina and then won again in the USA. In Qatar, technical issues hit, handing the lead to key rival to Ángel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), but Rueda bounced back in style with three consecutive victories at Jerez, Le Mans, and Silverstone, making it five wins in the first seven races.
Aragon and Mugello saw the #99 finish off the podium for the first time in 2025, but a win in Assen, podium in Germany and win at Brno underlined his lead as his title bid marched on. Austria and Hungary were two fifth places, before a podium in Barcelona preceded a win in San Marino and a second place in Japan – setting up his first Championship point in Indonesia.
As the first rider to win the Rookies and JuniorGP in the same year, Rueda’s arrival promised much and the #99 has more than delivered in 2025. Another victory in Lombok, added to drama for his fellow contenders, sees the #99 secure the 2025 Moto3 World Championship.
Congratulations, Jose Antonio!