Jose Antonio Rueda finishes fifth in an intense race, with Deniz Öncü in ninth.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders rode in the Spanish Grand Prix race this Sunday. After an intense battle in the group, Jose Antonio Rueda placed fifth at his home round, whilst Deniz Öncü started from pole position and finished ninth position after failing to feel fully comfortable in Jerez on race day.

Öncü was on pole for the first time this season, having been the pacesetter throughout the weekend. Taking the holeshot, the Turkish rider tried to open a gap, and fought to maintain a consistent pace despite not having the best feeling on Sunday. After dropping back, he managed to rejoin the leading group on the last few laps, although in the final stretch of the race he received a long lap penalty. Unable to complete the sanction due to a lack of time, he finished the Spanish Grand Prix in ninth position. With this result, Öncü is tenth in the overall standing with 23 points.

Rueda made a good start that allowed him to maintain his grid position of ninth. After the opening lap, the Moto3 rookie began to move up the order and tried to remain in the group, running a good race pace that included matching the leaders’ lap times. After latching onto the front group in the last few laps, Rueda continued to advance before crossing the finish line in an outstanding fifth position. He remains the best rookie in the class, in eighth place with 30 points.

The next round of the Moto3 World Championship will be the French Grand Prix at Le Mans from May 11th-13th.

Results (Race)
1. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 33:57.506
2. David Alonso (GasGas) +0.034
3. Jaume Masia (Honda) +0.215
4. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +0.422
5. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.549
9. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +3.862

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2023
1. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 59 points
2. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 55 points
3. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 50 points
4. Jaume Masia (Honda) 47 points
5. Xavier Artigas (CFMoto) 41 points
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 30 points
10. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 23 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standing 2023
1. Leopard Racing 82 points
2. Angeluss MTA Team 70 points
3. Red Bull KTM Tech3 61 points
4. MT Helmets – MSI 60 points
5. Red Bull KTM Ajo 53 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

“Our performance this week in Moto3 was at a high level. Of course we need to be really happy about the performances from both riders. But after the race, we have mixed feelings as Jose Antonio’s race was really good. He is in his rookie season and a fifth position is really great for him. He has shown that he is ready to fight for even higher positions and he’s one of the top riders in the class in his first season but also, as I said before, this is his rookie year, so we need to go step by step. Deniz had an incredible pace this week, he showed everyone that he was the fastest and strongest rider here in Jerez. But of course, we are very disappointed and sorry for him because in the race we had a problem with the rear tyre and he couldn’t ride as he liked. Nevertheless, he fought to the end. But racing is sometimes like this and this weekend gave us more confidence in Deniz, who is ready to fight for wins in many races.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“After the Spanish Grand Prix, we feel good and have drawn some very positive conclusions. We have seen how far we can go and how strong we are. In the race I expected a great result but in the end it didn’t turn out as expected. I didn’t feel comfortable with the front tyre as it had no grip. I have tried to gain places but in the end we were ninth. We have earned points and that is always positive. It’s time to reset and focus on the next race at Le Mans.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“It’s been a good race that we worked hard on all weekend. Racing at Jerez is always very special and we were confident that we would have a good race. Fifth place here is very positive, and even more so after a closely fought race in the group. We leave very happy and now it’s time to think about the next race at Le Mans, to continue progressing.”