After injury setbacks, South Africa’s rising Moto3 star returns to action with speed and a thrilling battle at the Red Bull Ring.
Spielberg, Austria (18 August 2025) – The Moto3 championship was back in action this past weekend at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, and South Africa’s own Ruche Moodley wasted no time reminding fans why he is one to watch.
The Gqeberha-born rider had endured a rough end to the first half of his rookie season, with crashes and injuries forcing him to miss the last two races before the summer break. But after some much-needed downtime at home, he came back with fresh energy and plenty of determination.
“It wasn’t a great way to go into the summer break, with the incidents and missing the last two races. I was looking forward to returning home. It was great to catch up with family and to recharge after the hectic season,” Moodley shared. “But I could not wait to get back on my race bike.”
That excitement showed the moment he climbed back onto his BOE Motorsports KTM. Having raced at the Red Bull Ring before, Moodley quickly found his rhythm, setting competitive lap times straight out of the gates. Even a small tumble could not shake him. He came within just 0.009 seconds of booking a direct ticket to Qualifying 2, eventually lining up 19th for Sunday’s main event.
The race itself was chaotic, fast, and filled with drama. A crash from his teammate at the start forced Moodley to take evasive action, dropping him to 22nd. Undeterred, the teenager fought back hard, slicing through the pack with grit. He climbed as high as 16th, swapping positions in a thrilling battle with fellow rookies.
“Once I caught Casey (O’Gorman and) Nicola (Carraro) we were having a proper battle, passing each other on every lap. The battle was so much fun and it went right until the last lap,” he said.
Moodley eventually crossed the line in 17th, just shy of the points, but full of positives.
“I finished higher than I started, which is always a plus. Our strategy for my rookie year has always been to finish every race, learning as we go. And that is exactly what we did today.”
With his confidence back and injuries healed, Moodley is fired up for the rest of 2025.
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“Now I am looking forward to visiting other tracks I have raced at before and building towards a strong finish to the season.”
Sources: Supplied
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