Who is Ruché Moodley? Meet South Africa’s new Moto3 sensation

South African sports fans have gotten used to Binder brothers Brad and Darryn hogging the local headlines in motorcycling racing over the last decade. But last weekend a new name appeared on the Moto3 time sheets during the Thailand Grand Prix.

Making his debut, 18-year-old Ruché Moodley romped to a sensational 11th place finish at the Buriram International Circuit. A feat he achieved after crashing during practice on Friday and qualifying in a lowly 19th place in the grid.

To put his performance in perspective, it took 2016 Moto3 world champion Brad Binder eight races to score his first points and Moto3 race winner Darry Binder no less than 25.

Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

Moodley’s relationship with fast bikes started when he was just five years old. The Gqeberha-born teenager, the son of former SA superbike champion Arushen Moodley, Ruché started his career in Motocross before moving the track.

Like the Binders, he started competing on the European circuit early in his teens. His endeavours started in the European Talent Cup in 2021 before progressing to the prestigious Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2022.

Moodley stood on the podium in the European Talent Cup for the first time in 2023. He went on to secure a full-time JuniorGP World Championship ride in 2024. He finished 16th in the title race after two top 10 finishes in his nine races.

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Ruché Moodley enters the big time

His big break came ahead of the 2025 Moto3 season when team owner Jose Boe signed him up alongside New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan. The team operates under the name BOE Motorsports and uses KTM RC250GP machines.

“My ambition is to learn as quickly as possible. I want to be fighting at the front to show what I’m capable of,” Moodley told Double Apex before the start of the season.

“South African fans will be entertained in each category on race days with Brad Binder in MotoGP, his brother Darryn in Moto2 and me in Moto3. I’m proud to be representing my country in one of the most competitive categories in the world.”

Solid start

The teenager was chuffed to start his career with five championship points in Thailand. He only set foot on the track for the first time last week.

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“Overall it was a positive weekend as I gained a lot of experience and confidence. This is just the beginning of a long season,” he told Double Apex after his debut race.

“I am happy about how we have started and we will continue growing from here. I am hungry for more,” he added.

The next stop on the MotoGP calendar is from 14 to 16 in Argentina.