Red Bull KTM Ajo riders experience two demanding races in windy conditions, with Can finishing 10th and 17th and Deniz claiming his first 2 points in the Moto3 Junior World Championship.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team’s Turkish twins took part in another round of Moto3 Junior World Championship action at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit this weekend. During the three day visit to Valencia the riders had to face windy conditions on track, but both managed to score points after two races today. Can took the chequered flag 10th and 17th, whilst Deniz suffered a crash in the first race and placed 14th in the second -picking up his first 2 points of the season.

The pair came into the two races with different objectives, as Can had taken a spot on the front row in qualifying yesterday and Deniz had achieved a place on the ninth row -25th. The first race of the day was heavily affected by the wind. Can fought throughout inside the Top 15, finishing tenth and taking 6 points. Deniz, meanwhile, went down on the second lap, after he had climbed two places and was running 23rd.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were also unfortunate in the second race. On the opening lap, while Can Öncu was leading the race, a red flag was shown due to an accident on track. When the race resumed with a 12 lap duration, a technical problem deprived him of the chance to restart from the grid, and instead he was forced to do so from pitlane. He would eventually finish 17th after a great comeback through the field. Deniz Öncü took his first points in the FIM CEV after gaining 11 positions and finishing 14th.

Can Öncü is now 18th in the overall standings with 7 points, and Deniz Öncü is 23rd with 2 points. The Red Bull KTM Ajo twins will be back for the next FIM CEV race, held at the Le Mans Circuit on May 18-19th, where they will share the stage with the MotoGP World Championship.

Race 1 Results
1. Sergio Garcia (Honda) 30:27.169
2. Aleix Viu (Honda) +4.531
3. Jeremy Alcoba (Honda) +4.532
4. Raul Fernandez (KTM) +4.579
5. Yuki Kunii (Honda) +4.624
10. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +25.272
DNF. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo)

Race 2 Results
1. Raul Fernandez (KTM) 20:35.735
2. Manuel Pagliani (Honda) +3.515
3. Ai Ogura (Honda) +3.681
4. Yuki Kunii (Honda) +3.969
5. Somkiat Chantra (Honda) +4.116
14. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +7.708
17. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +13.254

Moto3 Junior World Championship Standing 2018
1. Raul Fernandez (KTM) 58 points
2. Manuel Pagliani (Honda) 48 points
3. Yuki Kunii (Honda) 37 points
4. Somikat Chantra (Honda) 28 points
5. Sergio Garcia (Honda) 25 points
18. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 7 points
23. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2 points

53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ
“The first race was not too good for me since I crashed on the second lap. In the second race it was very windy and it was very difficult. Each time the conditions were different; sometimes there were very hard gusts, and sometimes not so much. It was difficult to ride at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit but it was a very good experience.”

61 CAN ÖNCÜ
“In the first race I made a good start, but then there was a lot of wind and I was not too comfortable in those conditions. I was not able to keep pushing more and I finished a little far back. In the second race I was leading the race before the red flag. When the race resumed my bike wouldn’t start. My mechanics managed to start it but I had to take off from last position. I tried to regain the maximum possible positions but I couldn’t do more than finish seventeenth. The next race will be better.”