The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider continued to make progress from yesterday and qualified for Q2 for the first time.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team were back in action today, taking another step forward, with a solid performance in qualifying at the Dutch GP. Can Öncü was able to compete with the fastest riders on the grid, after making it through Q1 and participating in Q2 for the first time, to ultimately finish in 17th place.

In FP3 this morning, the Turkish youngster resumed his work from yesterday, focusing on his pace by riding alone and fine-tuning the set-up of his bike. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie, who is consistently improving, beat his Friday personal best with a 1:42.468, less than a second off the top of the timesheet. After a total of 15 laps, Can finished 23rd.

Not held back by the high temperatures today at Assen, Öncü qualified for Q2, after achieving the fourth best time in Q1. This was the first occasion for the Turkish rider to enter the fight for the top positions on the grid and finally ended up 17th – 1:42.593. Tomorrow, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider will start in 23rd place, due to the sanction imposed on him from the Catalan GP.

The 22-lap Moto3 race at the Dutch GP will begin tomorrow at 11:00 am local time.

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:41.232
2. Kaito Toba (Honda) 1:41.376 +0.144
3. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 1:41.389 +0.157
4. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 1:41.460 +0.228
5. Celestino Vietti (KTM) 1:41.539 +0.307
17. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.593 + 1.361

61 Can Öncü

“It was a great day for us. This morning, in FP3, it was harder as I wasn’t feelig comfortable in that session. However, the team did a perfect job and in Q1 we were competitive, setting fast lap times. I was very motivated and that also helped me get into Q2. Today we made a big step forward, so I am very happy with how things went. Every day I feel better with the bike and with the team. We continue to work in this way, in order to be ready for the race tomorrow. We have a penalty of six positions on the grid, but if we make a solid start we can push for a strong result.”