Deniz Öncü joined his twin brother, Can Öncü, on track on the first day of free practices at the Automotodrom Brno.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team and Can Öncü returned to action today after the summer break, bolstered by the presence of Deniz Öncü, who debuts in the World Championship as a wildcard rider this weekend. The Turkish twins rode together as they used to in the past in various promotional Cups. Can and Deniz finished in 23rd and 30th position, respectively, on the combined timesheet.

Can found a good rhythm at the beginning of FP1, lapping towards the top of the times. However, he suffered a crash on turn 7 in the first half of the session, which forced him to stay in the box for much of the remainder of the practice. The Turkish rider ended up 30th, with a personal best of 2:11.248. Deniz spent the 40-minute FP1 session adapting to the demands of the World Championship. The 16 year-old completed a total of 16 laps and finished 27th, with a 2:10.521.

In the afternoon both riders were able to reduce their times in FP2. Can Öncü took a big step forward, featuring provisionally in the Top 5. Unfortunately, a crash at turn 3, with two minutes left, prevented him from improving further and the youngster concluded the session 19th – 2:09.528. For his part, Deniz Öncü continued racking up the kilometers and experience on track, completing a total of 12 laps. He eventually finished 27th, with a best effort of 2:10.314.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders will have one last free practice tomorrow morning, before the starting grid for the Czech Grand Prix is decided in Q1 and Q2 – which take place at 12:35 pm and 1 pm respectively.

Combined practice times (FP1 – FP2)
1. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 2:08.125
2. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 2:08.325 +0.200
3. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 2:08.443 +0.308
4. Celestino Vietti (KTM) 2:08.519 +0.394
5. Jaume Masia (KTM) 2:08.615 +0.490
23. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:09.528 +1.403
30. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:10.314 +2.189

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“After the crash in FP1 I felt pain in my right foot. However, we went out in FP2 and managed to take a step forward compared to the morning session, improving on the FP1 time by more than two seconds. Despite the final result, I’m happy because I think we are on the right track. We are less than a second and a half from the fastest rider, we have to keep working if we want to reduce that gap. Now we have to be focused on FP3 tomorrow and, if it doesn’t rain, I think we can get a good grid position.”

53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It’s a unique feeling to ride in the World Championship and I’m very happy to have completed the first two free practice sessions in a positive way. Even so, I expected a little more. Anyway, this is my first experience in the championship and I still have a lot to learn. Today we made some mistakes on corner entry, which prevented me from doing a quicker lap. That is something we must work on and correct in the next few days. My goal for tomorrow is to continue learning, however I think we will take a step forward.”