Deniz Öncü finishes 19th, with Celestino Vietti crashing out late on.

The Catalan Grand Prix did not end as the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders had hoped. Celestino Vietti suffered a crash while fighting for the Top 5, while Deniz Öncü finished in 19th place in Barcelona.

Vietti started from the front row of the grid for the first time this season at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. The Italian lost some positions at the start, although he remained in the front group, in fourth. High temperatures and tyre management affected the race, in which Vietti tried to maintain a consistent pace and reduce the gap to his rivals. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider felt comfortable and had no discomfort in his previously injured shoulder, and continued fighting in seventh position. Unfortunately, a crash at Turn 10 late on deprived him of his best result of the season to date.

Öncü had to face a challenging race from far back on the grid, but he felt very comfortable and was able to gain positions quickly. After just 6 laps he had already climbed 10 places and, with the points in his sights, maintained a good pace to close in on his rivals. After the first half of the race, the Turkish rider was handed a long lap penalty for exceeding the track limits, dropping him to twentieth -his final position. However, following the disqualification of another driver after the race, Deniz’s definitive position was 19th.

The next round of the season, the Italian Grand Prix, takes place next weekend at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello.

Results Race
1. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 36:33.540
2. Sergio Garcia (Boscoscuro) +3.816
3. Jake Dixon (Kalex) +9.186
4. Jeremy Alcoba (Kalex) +12.241
5. Senna Agius (Kalex) +12.593
19. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +38.590
DNF. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2024
1. Sergio Garcia (Boscoscuro) 109 points
2. Joe Roberts (Kalex) 89 points
3. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 88 points
4. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 63 points
5. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 62 points
12. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 29 points
23. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 3 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2024
1. MT Helmets MSI – 197 points
2. Onlyfans American Racing Team – 127 points
3. MB Conveyors SpeedUp – 125 points
4. QJMotor Gresini Moto2 – 94 points
5. Fantic Racing – 48 points
9.  Red Bull KTM Ajo – 32 points

Aki Ajo – Team Manager
“We had some positive moments this weekend in Moto2. Unfortunately the race was not good for us, as Celestino had a technical problem that caused his crash, after a strong qualifying session and a good beginning to the race. I have to say that Deniz was also doing a really good job at the beginning of the race but unfortunately, he touched the track limits too much and he received the long lap penalty. In any case, this weekend brought us more information about our package and we are really looking forward to being even stronger at Mugello.”

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“At the beginning of the race I felt quite good. We were not the fastest we could be, because we can always improve, but we were fast and we tried to catch the leaders. But there was contact early on in the race and we lost some positions. From there we remained calm and tried to close the gap with the frontrunners, and we tried to manage the tyres as best as possible. Unfortunately, late on I lost the front at Turn 10 and I crashed. I am so sorry for the team. It’s something that we need to understand and continue working and learning by doing more laps. We missed out on some laps due to my injury, so we will try our best to improve and move forward at Mugello.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“Today I had a really good race until the long lap penalty. I was doing a really good job, passing some riders and getting closer and closer to the front group. I was really enjoying myself on the bike and I was catching the riders at the front, so that’s very positive and I am very happy. When I got the penalty, I just lost too much time and I was struggling to get back into the mix. At the end of the race I had to manage the tyres a lot, because I was suffering from a lot of sliding. But I gained experience today and we keep on learning. I am motivated for the next round at Mugello.”