Deniz Öncü comes into the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team at the San Marino GP, substituting his twin brother who crashed in FP1.

The San Marino Grand Prix ended prematurely for Can Öncü after he suffered an unfortunate crash during the FP1, which resulted in him breaking his left collarbone on Friday morning. His twin brother, Deniz, who was already in attendance at the circuit with the team, took over in FP2 and will ride for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 for the remainder of the weekend in Misano.

Just nine minutes into FP1, Can Öncü hit the ground at turn 2 and the crash left the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rookie with a fractured left collarbone, which has ruled him out of the rest of the San Marino Grand Prix weekend. The Turkish youngster will travel to Barcelona tonight, where he will undergo surgery on Sunday.

Deniz Öncü immediately rose to the challenge of riding a bike which is new to him, making the most of the full 40-minute duration of FP2 to get some crucial kilometers and experience under his belt. The 16-year-old crashed without any serious consequence at turn 4 during his first run, however that did not prevent him from completing the session and he ended the practice in 31st place – 1:46.414.

Tomorrow, Deniz Öncü and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will have one last free practice in the morning before QP, which will take place at 12:35 pm (Q1) and 1:00 pm (Q2) local time.

Combined practice times (FP1 – FP2)
1. Albert Arenas (KTM) 1:42.824
2. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:42.945 +0.121
3. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) 1:42.990 +0.166
4. John McPhee (Honda) 1:43.052 +0.228
5. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 1:43.059 +0.235
31. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:46.414 +3.590

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“FP1 was very tough, as I had a big crash on the second lap and, as a result of the accident, I fractured my collarbone. Now I will go to Barcelona to have surgery. I will try to recover as soon as possible and come back even stronger. I am sorry I can’t be in Misano, but I will stay positive about the situation. I want to thank the whole team and I hope to see them all again in a few weeks.”

53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“I am very disappointed for my brother, who fractured his collarbone in a crash this morning. I hope he recovers well and can return as soon as possible. I went into FP2 and tried to do my best, taking into account that it was the first time I rode the 2019 version of the bike. The feeling was very different to the 2018 machine which I use in the FIM CEV, so we need to work hard to find the best set up for this bike. Tomorrow I will give it 100% again.”