Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider finishes 26th, after suffering a crash on Lap 7.

The second race of the 2019 Moto3 World Championship took place today at Termas de Rio Hondo and it was the second event as a full-time rider for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie, Can Öncü. The Turkish talent made a solid start to the contest, but a crash early on meant that he would be unable to place in the points. The Turkish remounted to finish 26th in the Argentina GP.

The 15-year-old took off from 23rd on the grid, and held his spot when the lights went out. The young talent managed to latch onto a large front group consisting of 22 riders, and was comfortable riding at the same pace as the race leader. The highest position he climbed to was 20th, before an unfortunate crash at Turn 1 of Lap 7 ended his progress. He would get back onboard his bike, gaining valuable experience but missing out on points.

Can Öncü and the Red Bull KTM Moto3 team will now prepare for the Red Bull GP of The Americas, which runs from April 12th-14th.

Results Moto3 Race
1. Jaume Masia (KTM) 38:54.562
2. Darryn Binder (KTM) +0.108
3. Tony Arbolino (Honda) +0.295
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) +0.386
5. Ayumu Sasaki (Honda) +0.519
26. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1 Lap

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Kaito Toba (Honda) 31 points
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 29 points
3. Jaume Masia (KTM) 25 points
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 21 points
5. Darryn Binder (KTM) 20 points
-. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“Can Öncü had another weekend of his learning process. It hasn’t been easy for him, since he had never ridden at Termas de Rio Hondo before. Nevetheless, he managed to be consistent -despite his unfortunate crash in the race. He is a young talent and we feel that these moments will help him to learn. I’m sure that during this year, after all these experiences, we will be able to aspire to good results.”

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“It was a positive day, despite the crash. We rode much better than in the first race at the Qatar Grand Prix -and were even able to fight with the front group. The Termas de Rio Hondo circuit was a new track for me and I tried to do my best, but this is racing. The important thing is that we have learned a lot, and in Austin we will put into practice all the knowledge we have acquired this weekend. I am sure that soon we can fight to be at the front.”