Deniz Öncü is fifth in qualifying, with Jose Antonio Rueda in sixteenth.

Qualifying at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit took place on Saturday, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders improved their times and fought for places on the front rows of the grid. Deniz Öncü will start the race from the second row, in fifth position; while Jose Antonio Rueda will do so from the sixth, in sixteenth.

Practice 3 allowed the Moto3 riders to fine-tune their setups for the afternoon qualifying sessions. With optimal track conditions, both managed to improve on their Friday times early on. Öncü continued to be one of the strongest riders of the weekend and, after completing a total of 14 laps, finished in seventh position with a time of 1:39.368. Rueda took another step forward to ensure a spot in Q2. In the final minutes, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider occupied the top places and concluded in fifth position, with a time of 1:39.374 set on his penultimate lap.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo duo went straight through to a demanding Q2, where the pace set by the riders was high. Öncü remained at the sharp end and his 1:39.368 will allow him to start the Indonesian Grand Prix race from fifth position, on the second row. Rueda did not have the same feeling as in the morning and was unable to lower his best time. The Moto3 rookie finished in sixteenth position, on the sixth row, after posting a 1:40.164.

The Moto3 Indonesian Grand Prix will take place over 20 laps on Sunday at 12 PM, local time.
 

Results (Qualifying session)
1. Diogo Moreira (KTM) 1:39.085
2. Jaume Masia (Honda) 1:39.125 +0.040
3. David Alonso (GasGas) 1:39.310 + 0.225
4. Collin Veijer (Husqvarna) 1:39.363 +0.278
5. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:39.368 +0.283
16. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.164 +1.079

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We qualified fifth for the race, which is not so bad here in Indonesia. We are strong but we just couldn’t show our best speed on the straight. It’s important to be fast, but tomorrow we will be focus on being clever and staying in the group until the final laps. I think that we can achieve a good result tomorrow.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Today we did a good Practice 3, I had a good feeling. In the afternoon I had some problems with the new tyres in qualifying and in the end it didn’t go as expected. We have to work together to keep improving and tomorrow we have to make a good start so that the group doesn’t get away. I am happy with the work we are doing but there are still some steps to take to be higher and we are working on it”.