The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider finished 14th in a demanding race at Brno, whilst his brother Deniz was 18th on his World Championship debut.

As the lights went out for the start of the Czech Grand Prix, the Öncü brothers became the first twins in history to compete in the same World Championship race. Can managed to run with the lead group for much of the contest and finally ended up 14th. Meanwhile, Deniz made up nine places from his grid position to finish 18th.

Can Öncü made a great start, holding on to 13th off the grid and staying with the front pack. By the end of the third lap, the Turkish youngster was up to seventh, reducing the gap to his rivals. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider kept pace with the fastest riders in the category until the last third of the race, when the group began to split. After an intense last lap Can finally finished 14th, adding more points to his tally.

For his part, Deniz Öncü was 18th on his Grand Prix debut, making up nine places in the race from his position on the Czech Grand Prix grid. Having taken off from the ninth row, the 16-year-old managed his race well in a demanding, incident-packed contest and accumulated valuable World Championship experience.

The upcoming round is the home Grand Prix of the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, with the Austrian GP taking place at the Red Bull Ring next weekend.

Results (Moto3 Race)
1. Aron Canet (KTM) 39:11.879
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) +0.159
3. Tony Arbolino (Honda) +0.217
4. Jaume Masia (KTM) +0.404
5. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) +0.499
14. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +5.540
18. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +25.241

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Aron Canet (KTM) 148 points
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 145 points
3. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 98 points
4. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 93 points
5. Jaume Masia (KTM) 78 points
28. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 4 points
-. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

Aki Ajo – Team manager

“It’s been a good weekend of work. Can [Öncü] added up more points today which shows we are going in the right direction. We have to remember that Can still has relatively little experience and is still a young rider, so we have to give him time to make further progress. For his part, Deniz [Öncü] had a very exciting Grand Prix, with it being his first race in the World Championship. He did well, finishing the contest without making any big mistakes. I’m sure that he won’t be fully satisfied though, as this year in the FIM CEV he is going really fast, but I think he’ll improve next week in Austria.”

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“It was a positive race, as I was able to gain crucial experience riding in the group. I managed to contest with the leaders, fighting with them for several laps, so I’m really happy about that. We still need to improve towards the end and to be more competitive, but that comes with experience. We started the second half of the season well and we just have to continue taking steps forward, like we have done up to now.”

53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“I finished my first race in the World Championship and that’s positive. The result isn’t perfect, but let’s remember we started from 27th and concluded 18th. It’s really important to have made my Grand Prix debut and I’m already looking forward to the next round in Austria, in order to keep learning and improving. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re going to give it our all.”