The two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders will start from the fifth and eighth rows at the French Grand Prix.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders completed Saturday’s French Grand Prix action with mixed results. Deniz Öncü was unable to finish in Q2 a Saturday that he had started leading in FP2, with an absolute track record included, and he will start from P13. His teammate, Collin Veijer, improved his best time in both sessions but missed out on Q2 by just 27 thousandths of a second.

FP2 for the Intermediate class was held in better conditions than Friday’s FP1, where the cold limited their lap times. With both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders focused on their race pace during the first part of the session, it was Öncü who surprised everyone in the final stretch, breaking the track record on his 14th and penultimate lap. The Turkish rider set a 1:34.693 to top the session, repeating his achievement from Jerez exactly two weeks ago. Veijer, meanwhile, employed a Time Attack in the final part of the Practice, setting his best time on his final lap of a total of 18. With a 1:35.562, which shaved more than 3 tenths off his fastest time from Friday, the rookie finished in 17th, completing the morning with a very positive feeling.

In Qualifying, track temperatures rose to some 35°C at the start of Q1. Veijer took part in the session, and despite a slower first attempt at a hot lap with new tyres, he ended up being one of the clear contenders to make it into Q2. Two consecutive laps put him more than 3 tenths faster than his previous best time from the weekend, and the Dutchman clocked a 1:35.218 on his eighth and final flying lap. Provisionally placed second, but he was relegated to fifth when several of his rivals improved their times, leaving him just 0.27 thousandths of a second away from making the cut for Q2.

In Q2, Öncü suffered slight misfortune. Whilst he got off to a strong start, several of his rivals managed to improve their morning times, and the Turkish rider was not entirely comfortable with the slightly higher track temperatures. Having set a 1:34.983 during his first runout of the session, he went back out on track with the aim of getting closer to the leading positions, but it was not to be. Thus, after nine laps completed, he earned 13th place, leaving him on the fifth row of the starting grid for the race.

With the sixth Saturday of the season completed, Deniz Öncü and Collin Veijer are already preparing for tomorrow’s race, where they will both try to bring points back to the pits for the third consecutive race. The 22-lap Moto2 French Grand Prix is scheduled for 12:15pm (local time) on Sunday at Le Mans.

Results Practice 
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:34.315
2. Barry Baltus (Kalex) | 1:34:642 (+0.327)
3. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) | 1:34.654 (+0.339)
4. Albert Arenas (Kalex) | 1:34.660 (+0.345)
5. Aron Canet (Kalex) | 1:34.671 (+0.356)
13. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1.34.983 (+0.668)
19. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:35.218 (+0.903)

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“The second day finished with mixed feelings. In the morning I felt great on track and we were able to lead the session with a circuit record, but in the afternoon things didn’t work out well at all. The goal was to qualify as well as we had on the last two race weekends, but we will start from 13th here at Le Mans. Tomorrow I will try my best to bring home the maximum number of points possible, but let’s see how the weather is, because the race could change a lot if it rains. We will be ready in both cases.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This morning the feeling was quite good during the long run. In the end, we were able to set a decent pace; my fastest lap was with a heavily used tyre, so we’re happy and confident because of that. In Q1, we were very close to making it into Q2. The first stint wasn’t great, but in the second I just switched my brain off and just tried to push with everything I had. We missed out on Q2 by less than a tenth of a second, so we can take the positives from today. The feeling was good, we improved during all the sessions, so I’m ready for tomorrow.”