The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider was just outside the points in 16th place, in a crash strewn French Grand Prix.

The fifth race of the 2019 Moto3 World Championship took place today at the legendary Le Mans Circuit. Due to the low temperatures, there were tricky track conditions for Can Öncü to deal with. Despite the high number of crashes at the French venue, the young Turkish rider managed to finish in a creditable 16th position.

Can Öncü, who started from 27th on the grid, dropped back two positions at the beginning, but he was soon on the comeback trail making up six places over the following two laps. As the race went by, the 15-year-old maintained complete focus, in spite of numerous crashes for other riders, allowing him to see the chequered flag. Ultimately, the Turkish rookie would cross the finish line in 16th, one place outside the points.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team will be back in action at the Italian Grand Prix, from 31st May to 2nd June at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello.

Results (Moto3 Race)
1. John McPhee (Honda) 37:48.698
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) +0.106
3. Aron Canet (KTM) +0.757
4. Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda) +0.978
5. Andrea Migno (KTM) +1.201
16. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +32.544

Moto3 World Championship Standing 2019
1. Aron Canet (KTM) 74 points
2. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) 60 points
3. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 57 points
4. Kaito Toba (Honda) 51 points
5. Jaume Masia (KTM) 49 points
25. Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 0 points

Aki Ajo – Team manager
“Despite being held in dry conditions, the Moto3 race was really tough. There were a lot of crashes and perhaps that made Can [Öncü] so cautious in the first laps. That meant that the group behind our rider was able to catch him. It was a pity that we didn’t have the confidence at the beginning, because after that Can started to ride and fight in a positive way.”

61 CAN ÖNCÜ

“It was a difficult race, the track was very cool, furthermore we lacked some speed and we couldn’t fight. We still have a lot to learn. Last year, I had a hard time adapting to the track and this season we were a bit faster, which is positive. I’m a rookie, so the goal is to continue taking steps forward and here we finished a contest that had lots of crashes, just one position outside the points. I’ll keep my motivation up and I hope to be further forward very soon.”