Deniz Öncü returns to Ajo Motorsport while Jose Antonio Rueda will make his debut in the class, after becoming Junior GP champion.

Red Bull KTM Ajo have confirmed their Moto3 lineup for the 2023 season. The team will feature two riders who combine youth, experience and talent in search of good results. Deniz Öncü will participate in his fourth season in the Moto3 World Championship, while Jose Antonio Rueda will debut off the back of having become JuniorGP champion.

Deniz Öncü, a regular in the class, returns to Red Bull KTM Ajo. He competed for the structure  in the Moto3 Junior World Championship in 2018 and 2019. He also competed in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, finishing fourth in 2017 and runner-up in 2018. The Turkish rider has been one of the outstanding performers this season, with a podium and three pole positions. He currently occupies fifth in the overall standings. The team’s goal is to fight for the title in 2023 with Öncü.

Jose Antonio Rueda has enjoyed a near-perfect season and has simultaneously contested the Junior GP and the Red Bull Rookies Cup series. He was crowned 2022 Junior GP champion at Misano, with two races remaining of the season and having accumulated five wins, three podiums and three pole positions. He also has the chance to become Red Bull Rookies Cup champion. At 16 years old, the Spaniard is one of the most promising riders in motorsport, and he joins the perfect team at which to continue his development.

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER
“The 2022 season is not over yet, but we are very happy to announce our Moto3 riders for 2023. Deniz returns to the team after sharing some very good years with us in the FIM CEV and some Grand Prix wildcards in 2018 and 2019. He is doing very well in Moto3 and I think we can achieve great things together. Jose Antonio Rueda will be our other rider: He has shown great potential not only in Junior GP, where he was crowned champion this year, but also in the Rookies Cup. We have seen that he is one of those riders who has great talent. We believe that the combination of an experienced rider and a young one fits very well with our philosophy.”

DENIZ ÖNCÜ – RIDER
“I’m very happy to return to this team, after the years we shared in what is now Junior GP. I think we will be able to do very good things together in 2023 and we will fight for the title. I want to thank Aki and KTM for this opportunity, I am sure that this new stage of career will add to my experience and I will be able to grow as a rider together with them.”

JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA – RIDER
“I’m very happy to join Red Bull KTM Ajo. It is a dream come true to be able to debut in the Moto3 World Championship and compete as part of a team like this. We will face the season with great enthusiasm, and give our all in every race. It will be a year for learning, but I am confident that I will achieve the best results possible.”