Rookies steal the spotlight in a slipstream-fueled thriller, Kelso takes top 10 finish

The Moto3 race at Mugello was a slipstream shootout from start to finish, with constant battles, fearless overtakes, and countless lead changes. Riders charged into San Donato almost ten-wide on multiple laps, using the long straight to swap positions in dramatic packs. The lead group stayed huge for most of the race, with nearly the whole field in touch early on.

Alvaro Carpe led several laps with smart exits onto the straight, while Maximo Quiles, starting further back, made daring passes to climb the order, including a stunning move into Turn 1 where he overtook several riders at once. Jose Antonio Rueda looked calm and strategic, sitting in the front group without taking too many risks early on. Aussie

Crashes shook things up mid-race, most notably with a scary incident when Guido Pini made contact with Kelso, going down out of Correntaio and only just avoiding getting hit by riders behind. The mishap splintered the group, with Jacob Roulstone losing touch and Joel Kelso pushed back after earlier strong runs.

After the chaos, a core group of about 12 riders fought for the lead heading into the final laps, including Dennis Foggia, Taiyo Furusato, and even rookie Valentin Perrone who started from the rear of the field.

The final lap was classic Mugello mayhem—nine-wide into San Donato, with Foggia grabbing the lead before Carpe fought back through Arrabbiata 1. Quiles then made his move, attacking late through Correntaio for second, before diving past his teammate at the final corner.

Out of the last turn, Quiles led with Carpe making ground in his slipstream, but the Spanish rookie held on across the line, taking a stunning maiden Moto3 win by just 0.006s. Foggia completed the podium in third, with Rueda and Muñoz rounding out the top five. Kelso was unable to move up the order in the last lap shuffle, settling for ninth. Roulstone fought back to finish 13th, still a disappointing result given he lead the race briefly. A tough pill to swallow for the Aussies, but both have shown they’ve got podium pace with some better luck.

With his fourth-place finish, Jose Antonio Rueda extends his lead in the Moto3 championship to 56 points over Angel Piqueras, who now holds second overall by just a solitary point back to Alvaro Carpe in third. Joel Kelso maintains a strong fourth in the standings with 93 points, with Quilas making ground rapidly in 5th with 85 points thanks to his win.

2025 Italian Moto3 Race

PosRiderBikeGap
1M. QuilesKTM
2A. CarpeKTM0.006
3D. FoggiaKTM0.066
4J.A. RuedaKTM0.102
5D. MuñozKTM0.212
6T. FurusatoHON0.312
7A. PiquerasKTM0.426
8V. PerroneKTM0.448
9J. KelsoKTM0.55
10R. YamanakaKTM1.242
11N. CarraroHON2.986
12S. OgdenKTM8.048
13J. RoulstoneKTM10.469
14S. NepaHON10.504
15C. BuchananKTM10.811
16M. UriarteKTM10.818
17T. BuasriHON11.35
18E. O'SheaHON16.127
19N. DettwilerKTM16.482
NCG. PiniKTM7 Laps
NCL. LunettaHON9 Laps
NCA. FernandezHON9 Laps
NCD. AlmansaHON15 Laps
NCR. RossiHON16 Laps
NCR. MoodleyKTM16 Laps
NCV. PerezHON16 Laps

2025 Moto3 World Standings

PosRiderNatPoints
1J.A. RuedaSPA162
2A. PiquerasSPA106
3A. CarpeSPA105
4J. KelsoAUS93
5M. QuilesSPA85
6T. FurusatoJPN77
7L. LunettaITA63
8D. MuñozSPA62
9A. FernandezSPA61
10D. AlmansaSPA56