Turkish rookie rounds off final Official Test at Losail International Circuit.

The 2019 preseason came to an end for Can Öncü and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team this Sunday, as they finished off a three day test at the Qatari track that will host the opening round next weekend. The current Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champion continued his adaptation to the World Championship, lowering his times on every evening of the Official Test. After making the most of his testing time at Jerez and Losail, the 15-year-old has gained valuable experience ahead of his first full season of Grand Prix racing.

Thanks to favourable weather conditions, the Turkish talent completed 49 laps on Sunday, and a total of 144 during the whole test. In today’s second Moto3 session, Öncü clocked a 2:06.984 lap. His time was more than a second quicker than his previous best, giving him 22nd place on the timesheets for the final day -23rd overall for the three days.

Can Öncü’s next outing onboard his KTM Moto3 bike will be at the Qatar Grand Prix from March 8th-10th.

Combined standings Moto3 – Qatar Test
1. Romano Fenati (Honda) 2:05.285
2. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 2:05.515 + 0.230
3. Aron Canet (KTM) 2:05.653 +0.368
4. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 2:05.771 +0.486
5. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 2:05.792 +0.507
23. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:06.984 +1.699

Aki Ajo – Team manager

“It has been a very positive test for the entire team. Can [Öncü] had previously competed at this track in the Asia Talent Cup but he had no experience of riding with the other World Championship riders, so these three days have been very important for him. Can was very focused on finding a good pace and on completing long runs. He is very happy with how he has done and set a good time. We can say that we are prepared for the first race of the year; obviously he is a rookie and everything will be new for him, and he has to continue learning day by day.”

#61 Can Öncü

“Sunday was the best day of the test. We’re very happy because we have been able to lower our times and have been consistent. I feel better on the bike every time I go out, even when riding alone. We haven’t worked much with new tyres, as I have tried to learn to preserve them since the end of the race is more important than the beginning. Today we tested some new parts that worked well, so I think we’re ready for the first Grand Prix.”