Against the odds, Ruche Moodley turns a challenging Moto3 debut in Indonesia into a weekend of progress and promise for South African motorsport.
Indonesia (07 October 2025) – South African Moto3 rookie Ruche Moodley turned heads at his first race in Indonesia’s Mandalika Circuit as he climbed through the ranks despite battling illness. The scenic track was challenging, but Ruche’s performance left fans excited about what’s next for the young BOE Motorsports star.
“Mandalika is a beautiful circuit that was designed specifically for motorcycle racing. From what I’ve seen on TV it has great flow, so I was really looking forward to riding my BOE Motorsports KTM there,” Ruche said ahead of the event.
The weekend started rough, with Ruche feeling under the weather.
“It was a real challenge to get to grips with the track as it is quite slippery off line. If you were just a few centimetres off the ideal racing line you were losing time. And it really didn’t help that I was low on energy as well.”
However, this did not stop him! He topped the Q1 timesheets to earn a spot in Q2 and started Sunday’s race from 18th on the grid. From the drop of the flag, Ruche made a lightning start, weaving past several riders into the first turn.
“I timed the race start perfectly and made a great launch. The path to T1 opened for me as most riders moved over to the left side of the track, trying to take the racing line into the right-hander at T1, but I stayed on the right. It felt great as I passed about half a dozen riders by the time we got to T1.”
The race ended early due to a red-flagged incident, leaving Ruche officially 13th, but still earning valuable points and proving he can hang with the best.
“It was a really positive weekend for us. This is the form I was enjoying before the injury troubles around mid-year. It feels fantastic to be back in the points. It was also good to make progress through the race weekend, even if I felt miserable most of the time, getting faster with each passing session. That is very important for a rookie, such as myself.”
Ruche’s Mandalika debut showcased his talent, and South African fans cannot wait to see him back on the world stage.
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