Tricky track conditions cause problems for Öncü and Veijer, who place 23rd and 25th in Practice.

Deniz Öncü and Collin Veijer didn’t have an easy start at Assen, on a Friday that saw numerous crashes for other riders. The two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders struggled to get into the Top 20 positions in both sessions. In Practice, they finished 23rd and 25th, and will have to go through Q1 on Saturday.

There was an atypical start to the weekend at Assen, with Moto2 FP1 starting an hour later than usual due to the delicate track conditions. Oil had been left on the surface after a spill in Moto3. Temperatures were also low, at around 20ºC.

Öncü completed his first laps of the Dutch track on a Moto2 bike in the morning. Despite not enjoying optimal track conditions, the Turkish rider worked on worn tyres and was able to reduce his time as the minutes passed, ending up with a 1:37.323 after 16 attempts. He was 1.2 seconds off the best time, but the close nature of the competition left him in 21st place. Veijer put in 17 laps at his home Grand Prix. He was closer to the frontrunners than in the first session at Mugello a week ago, improving his times in the final stretch of FP1. With a 1:38.548 his fastest lap, Veijer gained experience and data, as he placed 26th.

In the afternoon, the temperature rose up to seven degrees. Öncü focused on race pace on his first stint, before attempting a final Time Attack. However, a long sequence of crashes in the final five minutes prevented the vast majority of riders from improving their times due to the presence of yellow flags, so Öncü had to settle for a 1:36.277. He completed a total of 21 laps, more than anyone else in the intermediate class on Friday, and placed 23rd. Veijer made a significant push at the start of the session along with the fastest riders in the field, riding just 1.5 seconds behind on his first outing. After a trip to the pits, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rookie suffered the same problem as his teammate, having to settle for a time set on the sixth lap of the session. Veijer rode a total of 18 laps, with a best time of 1:36.837, almost two seconds faster than in FP1.

In conclusion, time to work for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, who will be looking to get closer to the front with their two riders on Saturday at Assen. Öncü and Veijer will join FP2 on Saturday, starting at 9:25 a.m. (local time). Q1 will begin in the afternoon, at 1:45 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Filip Salac (Boscoscuro) | 1:34.869
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) | 1:35.215 (+0.346)
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:35.304 (+0.435)
4. Tony Arbolino (Boscoscuro) | 1:35.414 (+0.545)
5. Ivan Ortola (Boscoscuro) | 1:35:498 (+0.629)
23. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:36.277 (+1.408)
25. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:36.837 (+1.968)

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It’s been a tricky day for us to start with here in Assen. I enjoyed myself a lot riding at a track like this with my Moto2 bike, but we have to improve for tomorrow. We will work harder during this afternoon and tomorrow morning to be better during the most important part of the weekend. It’s essential to make a step forward with my riding and also with the bike, so we will continue pushing to be closer in Qualifying.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This morning was a little bit difficult because the session was shorter and I felt a little bit strange when I went out on track. However, in the afternoon, we improved quite a lot. We got a little bit stuck in the standings, but I didn’t have the feeling to improve any more. For sure, we’ll try to be closer tomorrow. We know our weak points at the moment, so we will try to make progress again during the second day here in Assen.”