The Turkish rider goes fourth in qualifying for the intermediate class, while Celstino Vietti is ninth.

Saturday’s qualifying sessions for the Aragon Grand Prix ended in a very positive way for Red Bull KTM Ajo, with both riders having directly entered into Q2. Celestino Vietti and Deniz Öncü overcame the delicate track conditions and worked hard, with the latter taking fourth place on the grid. Vietti set the ninth best time and will start from the third row.

In Practice 2, conditions did not make it possible to improve the times from Friday, and the rain that fell overnight forced a change of strategy. Vietti and Öncü went out on track to get a feel for the wet track, but without taking too many risks. Vietti finished in eighth position thanks to his 2:05.285, and Öncü -like many other riders- was outside the maximum time for the session.

Moto2 qualifying was held under high temperatures and further difficult track conditions. Despite this, the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo were very competitive and fought for the top spots. After a pit stop, they worked together to improve their times until the final moments. Öncü achieved fourth position thanks to a 1:51.923 on his last lap. It was his best result in Moto2 qualifying, 1 tenth off the front row, and he will take off from the second line of the grid. Vietti was ninth in a tight qualifying session, and his 1:52.111 was only +0.4 off pole position.

The Moto2 Aragon Grand Prix will take place on Sunday at 12:15pm, local time.
 

Results Qualifying
1. Jake Dixon (Kalex) 1:51.636
2. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) 1:51.770 +0.134
3. Aron Canet (Kalex) 1:51.784 +0.148
4. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:51.923 +0.287
5. Tony Arbolino (Kalex) 1:51.938 +0.302
9. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:52.111 +0.475

#13 CELESTINO VIETTI

“I’m quite happy. For sure the conditions of the track were not the best we’ve had this weekend, but I think we handled it well. Riding alone, we improved with every lap. I made some mistakes on the final lap, and without them it would have been a bit better. I’m quite confident and happy about today. I’m sure that tomorrow we will fight until the end and we hope to have a great race.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It was a positive qualifying session for us. We are trying our best and the results have showed it. We are taking steps forward, while still learning and understanding the bike. Today the track was tricky, so let’s hope the weather tomorrow will be better for us. The team did a very good job, so thank you to them so much. We’ll push tomorrow.”