Öncü takes maiden Moto3 win in intelligent race at Sachsenring

18/06/2023

Deniz Öncü takes victory at the German Grand Prix and Jose Antonio Rueda finishes in thirteenth position.

The German Grand Prix ended in the best possible way for Deniz Öncü. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider earned his first Moto3 win after a great race. Jose Antonio Rueda finished in thirteenth position after fighting in the group and continues adding points to his tally.

Öncü started the race from the front row and with a clear strategy. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider retained his starting position on the first lap, as the leader began to increase his advantage. Öncü maintained a good pace in the early stages, until after the first half he decided to attack. The Turkish rider set a high pace on the final laps, cutting a lead of more than a second before biding his time. Öncü completed an intelligent race, waiting for the right moment to overtake in the last corner and take his first victory in the category. With this result he is fifth in the overall standings with 78 points.

Rueda began the Moto3 race from sixteenth position on the grid, remained in the group and tried to climb up the order, although the high temperatures at the German circuit made the contest even more demanding. After a small mistake on the initial laps, Rueda gained positions and fought in the points once again, eventually placing 13th. He continues to improve each weekend and is now ninth in the standings with 42 points.

The next race arrives in a week’s time, as the series moves to Assen in the Netherlands from June 23rd-25th.

Results (Moto3 Race)
1. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 33:10.531

2. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +0.095
3. Daniel Holgado (KTM) +12.074
4. Ivan Ortola (KTM) +12.196
5. David Alonso (GASGAS) +17.158
13. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +21.034

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2023
1. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 125 points
2. Jaume Masia (Honda) 84 points
3. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 81 points
4. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 79 points
5. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 78 points
9. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 42 points

Moto3 World Championship Team Standing 2023
1. Red Bull KTM Tech3 127 points
2. Leopard Racing 122 points
3. Angeluss MTA Team 121 points
4. Red Bull KTM Ajo 120 points
5. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP 97 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager

It was a really emotional win today with Deniz, as we have worked with him for many years since he was a young boy. This is the third season for us together and we have seen all his potential. Somehow I feel that he even had some stress in the last two years about getting this first win and waiting for it to arrive in the last few races, and today he really showed that he deserved it.The whole team had a really emotional moment. For Jose Antonio it wasn’t the easiest weekend, but that happens in your rookie season and I still think that we are in a good process with him. We will have much better weekends in the near future.

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

It’s a dream to finally win in Moto3. Everybody has been pushing so much for me to get it: My family, my friends, my team… and now it has happened it’s a weight off my shoulders. Every weekend we have been fast, and I have lost out on many wins by just a few metres, but now I know that I can also win those kinds of races -and this is also very positive. I feel stronger and that makes me happy. Now we have to enjoy ourselves and think about the next race at Assen.

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

I didn’t have a good start and I lost a couple of positions, although I managed to regain them on the first few laps. The first group was pushing very hard from the start and I fell behind, especially after a scare, and I couldn’t rejoin the second group, although I was able to get my pace back. With the tyres heavily worn it was more difficult. I’m happy because we’ve taken a step forward with the bike and we’ll continue to make progress. I’m very comfortable and now it’s time to focus on Assen, a circuit that we don’t know but where we will continue working like this.

Partners



MotoE