Öncü finishes second in the Italian Grand Prix, with Jose Antonio Rueda in fourteenth position.

The Moto3 Italian Grand Prix was an intense fight for the victory at the Autodromo Internazionale di Mugello. Deniz Öncü put in one of his best performances to date in the class and crossed the finish line in second position, for his first podium of the season. Jose Antonio Rueda finished in the points, in fourteenth position.

Öncü started the race on pole after dominating proceedings all weekend. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider had a great start, taking the holeshot and working on maintaining a high pace despite the high temperatures as part of the front group. With four laps to go, Öncü tried to break away with another rider, although the rest of the field didn’t make it easy. On a great last lap, he continued to fight for the victory and led until the last metres, only losing out on his first victory in Moto3 by 0.051s. Second place gave him his first podium of the season and puts him sixth in the overall standings with 53 points.

Rueda faced a difficult race at Mugello. The Moto3 rookie started from the fifth row of the grid and, despite losing some positions at the start, managed to recover and climb back up the field on the first few laps. After reaching ninth position, he did not have a good feeling in the second part of the race and dropped back down, but stayed in the points and crossed the finish line in fourteenth. He is ninth in the overall standings with 39 points.

Next up is the German Grand Prix, from June 16th to 18th at Sachsenring.

Results (Moto3 Race)

1. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 33:27.315
2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +0.051
3. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +0.056
4. David Alonso (GASGAS) +0.172
5. Jaume Masia (Honda) +0.487
14. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo)  +15.701

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2023

1. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 109 points
2. Jaume Masia (Honda) 74 points
3. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 68 points
4. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 64 points
5. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 59 points
6. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 53 points
9. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 39 points

Moto3 World Championship Team Standing 2023

1. Leopard Racing 112 points
2. Red Bull KTM Tech3 111 points
3. Angeluss MTA Team 101 points
4. Red Bull KTM Ajo 92 points
5. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP 77 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

The Moto3 race was an exciting thriller today. When a rider dominates the whole weekend as Deniz has done, even in the race we saw that he was the best rider. He is quite tall and a bigger rider than other riders, so he has a disadvantage at this track. This feels like a win because Deniz did everything to try to win this race. We were so strong at some points but it was not possible this time. It gives us more confidence and he can still have more great races this year. It wasn’t an easy weekend for Jose Antonio but at least we need to be happy that he improved his understanding of his riding. In the race he wasn’t in the top positions but he was fighting well in his group. It’s his rookie season and it’s normal to have these kinds of races. We have to gather all the experience for the future.

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

Our level is really good at the moment. We are very good as a team. I did my best today and I tried to push at some points of the race, but we were struggling on the straight. I’m so happy for my team because I gave them their first podium of the season. The victory was so close today, but we still have a lot of races ahead.

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

On the first few laps I felt comfortable and I was able to recover positions, but after the fourth or fifth lap I began to have less feeling. I couldn’t find good lines and it was very difficult for me to overtake. This weekend we were up against it, because it took us a while to find a good setup for today’s race. It wasn’t one of my best races, but we kept on scoring points and learning a lot, which is the important thing.