The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo finish in third and ninth position respectively.

The first day of the San Marino GP went well for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders. After two positive sessions, both improved their times, with Deniz Öncü finishing in third position, while Jose Antonio Rueda was ninth.

The San Marino Grand Prix began with mild temperatures and good conditions. Öncü worked on finding a good feeling and after the first minutes of Practice 1 already occupied the top spots. The Turkish rider improved lap-by-lap in Misano and, after a pit stop, he looked for a good setup with his KTM. Completing 16 laps, his 1:43.299 on his twelfth attempt placed him in twelfth. Rueda started the weekend with a lot of motivation. The Moto3 rookie felt comfortable and worked with the team to face the Grand Prix in the best way. Rueda improved his times from the start and was eleventh, setting the same time as his teammate on his last lap.

In Practice 2, Öncü lowered his times from the morning and remained at the front. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider worked on his strategy and feeling for the qualifying sessions, being one of the leading riders of the day. Öncü felt very comfortable once again and set the third best time thanks to his 1:42.283, set on his 15th lap of 17. Rueda made progress and mounted an attack on the timesheets after a pitstop, ending the day in the Top 10 with a time of 1:42.557 and making it into Q2.

The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will host Moto3 qualifying on Saturday from 12:50pm local time.
 

Results (Combined practice times P1 – P2)
1. Jaume Masia (Honda) 1:42.154
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 1:42:229 +0.075
3. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.283 +0.129
4. David Alonso (GasGas) 1:42.288 +0.134
5. Ivan Ortola (KTM) 1:42.431 +0.277
9. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42:557 +0.403

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ 

“We pushed hard on our own, and were fast and consistent. I used the opening laps to understand the bike well and continue with the results from previous weekends. Overall I feel good and I think that we can improve some details tomorrow. Let’s see how it goes, tomorrow we can make a fast attack on the timesheets and get a good lap to be at the front.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“In Practice 1 we found a good feeling and in Practice 2 we pushed a little more to see where our limit was. I felt more comfortable on the bike and we managed to set a good time, riding more or less alone. I’m happy with how we are working this weekend and tomorrow we can do well in qualifying.”