The young Turkish rider gains eight places and finishes 18th at the Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain, despite a small collision in the race.

The first European Moto3 round of the 2019 season ended with Can Öncü completing his objective of improving, rounding off a difficult Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain with a solid performance on race day. The 15-year-old took the chequered flag in 18th, continuing his development as a World Championship rider.

The young Turkish talent started from 26th place and managed to hold his position after the lights went out. By Lap 5, Can Öncü was up into 20th, leading a group of four riders. Past the midway point in the contest, the rookie collided with another rider and lost contact with the pack, in his attempt to avoid crashing. Some falls in the leading group gave him the chance to reach 18th place, with him having gained eight positions from his spot on the grid.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will return to the action from 17th to 19th May, at the legendary Le Mans circuit, for the French Grand Prix.

Results Moto3 Race
1. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 39:30.327
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) +0.242
3. Celestino Vietti (KTM) +0.305
4. Aron Canet (KTM) +0.472
5. Albert Arenas (KTM) +0.563
18. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +15.474

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Aron Canet (KTM) 58 points
2. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 57 points
3. Jaume Masia (KTM) 45 points
4. Kaito Toba (Honda) 41 points
5. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 40 points
24. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

Aki Ajo – Team manager
“It’s Can Öncü’s first full season, so the main objective for him is to continue learning. I have seen great progress from him this weekend; he has been more calm than in the past. Being able to finish the race after contact from another rider is positive, so I hope that this result will help him to trust in himself more. I’m sure that throughout this season we will get closer and closer to the top positions.”

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“It was a good race for us and we enjoyed it a lot. I made a good start and, in the first half of the contest, I was fighting for places further up the order. Unfortunately, with 10 laps to go, I made a small mistake and collided with another rider, losing a lot of time. Even so, we were able to finish in 18th position, which is a step forward for us. Now we have to continue working to improve and get faster. I’m sure that we will achieve a great result soon.”