Deniz Öncü finishes 21st after suffering a crash when fighting for the Top 10.

The Australian Grand Prix did not end as expected for Deniz Öncü. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider made a good start, but suffered a crash halfway through the race and crossed the finish line in 21st place.

Öncü was forced to start the Australian Grand Prix race further back than planned, after a penalty received the previous day. Once the lights went out, the Turkish rider got away well, gaining up to 10 positions on the opening lap. He kept up a good pace and tried to stay in the Top 10 in a very close race, with constant changes of positions. Halfway through the race, the Moto2 rookie crashed when he was occupying a spot in the points, although he was able to get back up, continue gaining experience and cross the finish line 21st. Despite the result, Öncü showed great competitiveness on Sunday after a difficult weekend.

The next round for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team will be next week in Buriram, where the Thai Grand Prix will be held from October 25-27th.

Results Race
1. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro)  35:08.816
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) +0.194
3. Senna Agius (Kalex) +7.228
4. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) +8.385
5. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) +8.397
21. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +1 lap

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2024
1. Ai Ogura (Boscoscuro) 241 points
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) 176 points
3. Fermin Aldeguer (Boscoscuro) 175 points
4. Sergio Garcia (Boscoscuro) 175 points
5. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) 163 points
8. Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 140 points
20. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 34 points

Moto2 Teams Championship Standing 2024
1. MT Helmets MSI – 416 points
2. Beta Tools Speed Up – 338 points
3. Only Fans American Racing Team – 238 points
4. Gresini Moto2 – 231 points
5. Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – 194 points
7. Red Bull KTM Ajo – 174 points

AKI AJO – Team Manager:

“It was an unfortunate weekend for Celestino, who on Friday suffered a collarbone injury. Fortunately is it not too serious and next week we will see if he is able to come back in Thailand or if we need to delay his comeback for Malaysia. Deniz had a strong weekend for his learning. Phillip Island is one of the most challenging tracks for a rookie in Moto2, with the different shape of the track and the wind and mixed conditions. Especially during the race he showed improvement, but unfortunately he crashed and lost out in the fight for the Top 10. As I have said many times, in a rookie year we need these experiences and for sure we have more in our basket after this weekend.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We have finished the AustralianGP. The whole weekend has been tough for me, because the track was not in perfect condition and that made things difficult. Yesterday in qualifying we made some mistakes, but today in the race we had a good start. On the first few laps we overtook some riders, moving up into 10th. Then I tried to take more risks in order to improve, and unfortunately I crashed. I want to say sorry to the team. Today we learnt more, and we will continue learning and improving in Thailand.”