Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was 16th in Misano, on the day his twin brother Can Öncü underwent a successful operation on his fractured left collarbone in Barcelona.

The Turkish youngster rose to the challenge of replacing his twin brother, Can Öncü, and finished his third race in the Moto3 World Championship in 16th place. Deniz was just one place off the points – his best World Championship result to date – despite having to go off track to avoid another rider’s crash. Meanwhile, Can successfully came through surgery on his fractured left collarbone, being treated by Doctor Xavier Mir in Barcelona.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider made a solid start from the eighth row of the grid, moving up four positions. On lap three, the Turkish talent had to swerve off the track to avoid a crash by another rival, which meant he lost several seconds on the lead group. The 16-year-old kept his concentration whilst riding solo, with many other crashes occurring in the race. Finally, Deniz crossed the finish line 16th, his best Grand Prix result to date.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Can underwent a successful operation by Dr. Xavier Mir, Head of the MotoGP Medical Team, and his staff at the Quiron Dexeus University Hospital. On Friday, in the first free practice session of the San Marino Grand Prix, he suffered an unfortunate crash in which his left collarbone was fractured in three places. The operation lasted a total of two hours and Öncü will begin his rehabilitation process within three days, with an estimated recovery period of approximately three weeks.

The next race for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will be the Aragon GP, which will be held at MotorLand Aragon next week, from 20th to 22nd September.

Results (Moto3 Race)
1. Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda) 40:00.034
2. John McPhee (Honda) +0.112
3. Tony Arbolino (Honda) +0.201
4. Jaume Masia (KTM) +0.708
5. Dennis Foggia (KTM) +3.232
16. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +51.058

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 179 points
2. Aron Canet (KTM) 157 points
3. Tony Arbolino (Honda) 149 points
4. Marcos Ramirez (Honda) 123 points
5. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 118 points
29. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 4 points
34. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

Aki Ajo – Team manager

“It was a tough weekend for us in Moto3, especially because of the injury for Can [Öncü], which was a shame. I was pleased to hear that the operation on his collarbone went well and hopefully he will make a quick recovery. On the other hand, we were lucky that Deniz [Öncü] was here and we were able to continue the GP with him. It wasn’t easy as it was the first time he rode the 2019 bike, because in the FIM CEV he uses an older model. He was doing good in practice but in the race he had some bad luck with another rider crashing right in front of him. Finishing the race was an important experience for his development.”

53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We made a solid start but then, three laps in, another rider crashed right in front of me, I made contact with him and I was close to crashing. Luckily I didn’t go down but I had to swerve off the track and I lost about 15 seconds. I had hoped to stay in the group, but I had some bad luck. In the next race at MotorLand Aragon I will try my best again. I’m taking as much knowledge as I can from this weekend.”