More, from a press release issued by Red Bull:
Rueda heads Sachsenring Qualifying – Applications open for 2023 Rookies Cup
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup points leader José Rueda, the 16-year-old Spaniard, continued his class act by claiming pole at the Sachsenring. Italian 17-year-old Filippo Farioli is only 0.120 seconds behind with Eddie O‘Shea, the 15-year-old Briton, completing the front row.
While the 2022 Rookies were chasing grid positions the Selection Process for the 2023 Cup was opened on the website.
Here you can sign up for the most exciting time of your life.
As always the Cup is open to everyone with a yearning to test themselves against the best teenage racers in the world and this starts with the online application.
Rueda loving the lefts
“I am very happy with that. I have never been here before and it’s not an easy track but I enjoy it so much. All those left corners are great fun.”
“I will push hard from the start and try and get away but I think there will be some riders who will try to go with us.”
“The bike is working really well, I have confidence in it and we really didn’t change much through the practice sessions. I think I am going to enjoy the races a lot.”
Farioli feeling great
“I think we did a very good job. In FP1 the feeling with the bike was not so good, and with the track. But through FP2 I learnt more, I tried some different things and we improved.”
“Then in the Quali I did the same and we got a good position, I’m happy and confident with the bike now, I am enjoying the track and am very focused.”
“I have the pace to do a better and different race to Mugello and I ended today feeling the bike is perfect and my feeling with the track is perfect.”
O‘Shea on the front
“It was very good, My first time on the front row and I believe my first time on the front three rows so I am happy to be up there with the fast boys.”
“I felt confident and all day, I felt I should be on the front row, if anything I am upset that I am not on pole, I felt that good.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better start to the weekend. I learnt a lot from the fast boys at Mugello after running in the front group. Once you do that your confidence level shoots through the roof.”
“So I came into this weekend, this is my favourite track and I said to my family that I’m going to be up there and I’m happy to live up to what I said.”
Piqueras picks up the pieces for 4th
“I am happy with the good Qualifying because I crashed in FP2 and the bike was a mess, destroyed. The guys did a fantastic job to rebuild it for Qualifying,” enthused the 15-year-old Spaniard.
“It is great to come back from that and be on the second row. The bike is fast and I have confidence for the races that I can race at the front.”
Buchanan better than ever in 5th
“I’m very happy with that, I knew the tyres were going to go off very fast, this track is so grippy that the tyres don’t last very long. So I knew that I had to put it in as quickly as I could,” explained the 15-year-old New Zealander.
“On my first flying lap I went off track at the final corner. So that was gone and the next lap had to count before the tyre dropped. So I put everything into that lap.”
I got the lap done, I think that is by far a new personal best for me. Unfortunately after that I crashed but the team were great and managed to fix it, a great job by them.”
“Then I was able to go out and set a really fast pace by myself which bodes well for the races.”
“It’s my best Qualifying by I think 13 positions. The bike set-up is great, I had a lot of confidence with it.”
Quiles kept from continuing
“I went off in the gravel and the bike fell on it’s side, I couldn’t get it out and the marshals didn’t really help me, I was stuck.”
“It’s a shame because I felt a lot of grip and I had a lot of confidence and I could make P5 but after the fall I couldn’t get going. Still I have a good setting for the races and I am feeling confident in the bike,” concluded the Spanish 14-year-old who still qualified 13th
O’Gorman out of luck
“I went to go inside someone on the first lap and high sided off the gas. It took a long time to get the bike back to the pits, the guys did a great job to repair it but we just didn’t make it before the end of the session,” explained the Irish 14-year-old.
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 1 is at 16:25 CET on Saturday and Race 2 is on Sunday at 15:30, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
