Qatar proved to be a success for Ruche Moodley, who spent the sweltering race keeping pace and earning points towards his overall tally.
Qatar (14 April 2025) – South Africa’s Ruche Moodley continued his maiden Moto3 campaign over the weekend as the series visited Qatar in the Gulf region. It was the Gqeberha-born teen’s first competitive outing at the Lusail International Circuit, adding to the list of tracks and firsts he is accomplishing on this journey.
The track is known to test riders and requires a seasoned confidence that only those familiar with the track usually possess. As for Ruche, he squared his shoulders and got ready to take on the challenge. Despite his rookie status, he finished 18th in the first practice run – a great start!
“It was my first visit to this track, and racing under lights is a completely new experience for me. I was feeling strong after the early practice sessions, but I knew the front runners would lift their pace as the weekend progressed,” said the 18-year-old.
A good position during qualifying at Qatar relies heavily on slipstreaming. The over-kilometre-long pit straight means that your qualifying performance is almost reliant on those around you as much as your own speed. Ruche shared that he was in the middle ground, so he struggled to get a “decent tow” from his competitors, which meant he ended the qualifier in 20th, just missing out on taking part in the second qualifier.
Not letting this keep him at the back of the track, Ruche beared down on race day and proved that he can consistently finish races several positions ahead of where he has started.
“I had a big wheelie off the line so I had to get off the gas to bring the front wheel back to the ground. We opted to race on the slightly harder compound tyre. This meant the bike wouldn’t have the initial grip, but it would get better and be more consistent over the full race distance.”
“I knew that I could learn a bit from racing with guys who are in their second and third year of Moto3.”
As the track heated up, Ruche was able to push towards the high teen positions, thanks to clever manoeuvring, rider crashes and mechanical issues.
“I had managed my tyre wear to keep a little in reserve for the end of the race.” And it paid off. In the closing stages Moodley gained two more positions. He took the chequered flag in 13th, earning points in the process. This is the third race, of four this season, in which Moodley has scored points.
“The race pace today was really quick. The heat, for the tyres and riders, was tough to deal with. It was the first time I have ridden in these conditions and now know how tough it is. I am glad that I kept my cool as gaining experience is very important. To leave here with points is great.”
He finished in 13th, marking his second race earning points towards the championship. The season is only just getting started, so we look forward to seeing Ruche take on more first-moments, big race days and points, many, many more points! Good luck, Ruche Moodley!
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