Jose Antonio Rueda finishes tenth at Motegi. Deniz Öncü suffers a crash when fighting for the podium.

There was a bittersweet ending for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team at the Japanese Grand Prix. Deniz Öncü crashed out when in the podium positions and after leading for much of the race, whilst Jose Antonio Rueda climbed positions to finish tenth.

Deniz Öncü started the Moto3 race from the front row of the grid. The Turkish rider made a great start that allowed him to take the lead. He tried to increase the advantage over his rivals, although the pace of the contest was very high. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider dropped to third position and remained in the podium spots, fighting hard with his rivals to secure the place. However, a crash with 6 laps remaining deprived Öncü of the rostrum. With 147 points, he remains fifth in the overall standings.

Jose Antonio Rueda was forced to make up ground after starting from the fifth row. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider lost some places off the line, but was to increase the pace and feel comfortable while moving up through the main group. After the first half of the race, he was in the points, going on to cross the finish line in tenth position. He is now eighth in the standings with 100 points.

The next round for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will be the Indonesian Grand Prix, held from October 13-15th at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager:
“It was not our best race in Moto3, even though the weekend started quite well and both riders found a good pace and prepared well. Unfortunately after a tight fight and a good pace at the front, Deniz made a mistake and crashed out. We are disappointed about that but this hasn’t happen to us many times this year. Sometimes mistakes happen and we need to be positive and look forward to the six remaining races. Jose Antonio’s starting position wasn’t the best but we are happy with his second half of the race, as he was able to fight hard and finish in the Top 10. This was a good lesson and a good experience to learn race by race.”

Results (Race)
1. Jaume Masia (Honda) 33’30.018
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) +1.546
3. Daniel Holgado (KTM) +1.602
4. Stefano Nepa (KTM) +5.200
5. Ivan Ortolá (KTM) +5.230
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +9.734
DNF. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2023
1. Jaume Masia (Honda) 199 points
2. Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna) 193 points
3. Daniel Holgado (KTM) 190 points
4. David Alonso (GasGas) 160 points
5. Deniz Öncü (KTM) 147 points
8. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 100 points

Moto3 Teams World Championship Standings 2023
1. Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intanct GP 256 points
2. Leopard Racing 249 points
3. Red Bull KTM Ajo 247 points
4. Angeluss MTA Team 235 points
5. Gaviota GasGas Aspar Team 222 points

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“The Japanese GP is done. We handled the weekend well and we knew that the race would be so hard. In the end I was able to lead the race for most of the laps. When the other riders started to fight I pushed more and I crash unexpectedly. I didn’t have time to react in the moment. I tried to brake more on the corners because of my lack of acceleration, due to my size. Both the team and I will come back stronger at the next race.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“The race has been very fast from the beginning. I didn’t feel very comfortable, but I’m happy because we finished in the Top 10 again at a circuit we didn’t know. From the beginning the others started pushing very hard and I couldn’t latch onto the front group. I don’t think it was a bad result, as we have continued adding points and at the next race we want to continue in the same way. Many thanks to the team for all their work during these two races.”