Öncü and Rueda ready to kick off 2023 season in Portugal

22/03/2023

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo will contest the first race of the year at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

The 2023 season gets underway this weekend with the Portuguese Grand Prix. After the official Test in Portimao, the Moto3 riders stay on at the circuit to contest in the first of the 21 rounds that will take place this year. Deniz Öncü and Jose Antonio Rueda finished preseason undertaking a complete work plan that will allow them to start the campaign in top form.

Öncü begins his fourth season in the Moto3 World Championship. The Turkish rider has carried out an intense preseason, and has worked hard to find a good feeling with his bike and his riding. He arrives in Portimao ready to take a step forward this year and be competitive this weekend. Öncü took pole position and finished fourth last year at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

Rueda’s preseason for his rookie year in Moto3 has surprised everyone, as he finished the official tests in Portimao as the second fastest rider. The current Junior GP and Red Bull Rookies Cup champion knows the Portuguese circuit well and has already been on the podium there in both championships (with 2 wins and 2 podiums). This weekend will be his first Grand Prix as a permanent member of the Moto3 World Championship grid.

The 19-lap Moto3 Portuguese Grand Prix race will take place on Sunday, March 26th, at 11 AM local time.

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ
“We are finally starting the 2023 season after a long winter. As a rider, my target is always to win the race, but looking at the year as a whole it is very important to get as many points as possible every weekend, because the season will be very long. We have to be consistent and giving our all will be the key”.

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA
“After the tests here in Portimao, we are getting the season underway. I hope to perform at my best, and I feel good enough to get a good result. It is a circuit that I know well and at which I have achieved good results before. We will see how the race weekend goes, but I am very happy with the bike and with the team. I am really looking forward to starting the season”.

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