The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider made up 13 places and finished 18th in Mugello, just one tenth of a second off the points.

At the sixth round of the season at Mugello today, Can Öncü continued to make progress in the Moto3 World Championship. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider ended up close to the points, making up 13 places from his grid position in the race. The young Turkish rookie left Italy with a creditable 18th position, riding in a group that was fighting for points and gaining valuable Grand Prix experience.

Can Öncü started last on the grid after being penalised in FP3, but he remained calm and, on the first corner, he managed to make up two positions. Lap by lap he lowered his times, riding in a group of seven riders with plenty of battling throughout the race. With four laps to go, Can Öncü placed himself in the lead of that group, riding in 15th place. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie fought until the last corner and finally finished 18th, crossing the line within 0.110s off the points.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team and Can Öncü are already looking forward to the next round of the World Championship, which will be held at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit from 14th to 16th June.

Results (Moto3 Race)
1. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 39:29.874
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) +0.029
3. Jaume Masia (KTM) +0.078
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) +0.156
5. Dennis Foggia (KTM) +0.267
18. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +26.779

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Aron Canet (KTM) 83 points
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 80 points
3. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 70 points
4. Jaume Masia (KTM) 65 points
5. Celestino Vietti (KTM) 52 points
26. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“The race went quite well. I fought hard in my group until the end and that helped me to gain experience. We had to start from last position on the grid and that made our work more difficult. Anyway, I was able to take a big step forward and move up several positions to finish 18th. Now we have to continue working in the same way and improve race by race. I’m confident that soon we can move ahead and fight for the point-scoring positions.”