Öncü and Rueda score points in demanding Indian Grand Prix

24/09/2023

Jose Antonio Rueda is tenth, while Deniz Öncü finishes fourteenth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 competed in the Indian Grand Prix race this Sunday. Deniz Öncü and Jose Antonio Rueda went from strength to strength in an intense race in which they managed to enter the points, with Öncü in fourteenth position and Rueda tenth.

Öncü was forced to start the race from last position on the grid due to a penalty. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider made a good start and completed the long lap on the first opportunity in order to lose as little time as possible. From that moment on, he increased the pace and began to climb up the order throughout the 16 laps. Öncü had shown his ability to adapt during the weekend and gained 14 positions in the race, to finish in a creditable fourteenth position. With this result he occupies fifth in the overall standings with 146 points.

Rueda started from sixteenth place, on the sixth row of the grid. Despite losing some places when the lights went out, the Spanish rider managed to recover and tried to ensure that the front group did not escape. Rueda fought against demanding conditions and continued closing the gap with each lap. After the first half of the race, The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider reached the Top 10, and held tenth position at the chequered flag. He is eighth in the series with 94 points.

The team now travel to Motegi to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix, from September 29th to October 1st.

 

Aki Ajo – Team Manager:
“Finally both riders were in the points and they finished the race. It was positive after the challenging conditions with heat and humidity. Of course our expectations were a bit higher and we need to analyse why our riders weren’t so happy about the grip today, ahead of next week in Japan. Unfortunately Deniz was hindered quite a lot by the penalty and this didn’t help us in the race. In any case. we still have many races to go and we need to be fully focused for next week in Japan. Rueda was again in the Top 10 in his rookie season, but I’m sure he expected more in this race. As I said, in Japan we will have a good chance to fight for higher positions.”

 

Results (Race)
1. Jaume Masia (Honda) 1:58.245
2. Kaito Toba (Honda) +5.477
3. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +5.784
4. Daniel Holgado (Honda) +8.117
5. David Alonso (GasGas) +8.240
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +16.106
14. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +22.933

Moto3 World championship Standing 2023
1. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 174 points
2. Jaume Masia (Honda) 174 points
3. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 173 points
4. David Alonso (GasGas) 151 points
5. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 147 points
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 94 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standings 2023
1. Red Bull KTM Ajo 250 points
2. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intanct GP 231 points
3. Leopard Racing 224 points
4. Angeluss MTA Team 217 points
5. Gaviota GasGas Aspar Team 206 points

 

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“India has been a circuit where I have really enjoyed riding. We had one of our hardest weekends of the season because I struggled to adapt to the circuit at the beginning and then I had the penalty. I did my best during the race and I tried to get as many points as I could, although I didn’t have the pace that I had hoped for. Next week we will travel to Japan and we need to fight again.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Throughout the whole weekend we have been doing well. In the race we started a little far back, and on the second lap there was a crash in front of me that made me lose the front group. It was a bit of a strange day and I didn’t have a good feeling since the rear was stepping out. It was a race to learn a lot and make progress for the next few races. A Top 10 is not a bad result, we know what to work on to improve and move further ahead. Now it’s time to focus on Japan, another new circuit for me and where we will work to adapt well.”

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