Thirteenth place for Öncü with fightback at Czech GP

20.07.2025

After starting from P21, the Turkish rider scored three points to turn around a difficult weekend. Veijer, with a good second half of the race, finished just outside the points.

On Sunday at the Czech GP, Deniz Öncü salvaged three points after experiencing bad luck on both Friday and Saturday. The Turkish rider suffered tyre wear in the closing laps and had to settle for 13th, whilst teammate Veijer, after a bad start, fought back from 23rd to 16th during the contest at Brno.

There was a great start for Öncü from 21st on the grid, and he made up four positions on the opening corners. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider quickly joined the chasing pack to put himself into the running for the Top 10. As the laps passed, he steadily made progress, safely overtaking several other riders to climb to eleventh. However, with five laps remaining and ninth place an option, Öncü began to suffer from tyre wear, requiring him to control his pace to stay in the points. He was finally just one second outside the Top 10, and placed 13th. With his 3 points from the Czech GP, he now has 100 points and remains sixth in the overall standings.

There was a more difficult start for Veijer, who lost five positions when the lights went out to drop to 21st before the first lap had ended. Struggling to find his pace, the Dutchman was down as low as 23rd on the second lap. However, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie dug deep to turn the tide, beginning to make a comeback by himself, lap after lap. With impeccable tyre management and a consistent pace, he overtook several of his rivals to take the chequered flag in 16th place, just two seconds outside the points. With 13 points for the season, Veijer remains 20th in the overall standings.

Red Bull KTM Ajo head into the summer break with 113 points, occupying seventh place in the Team standings. The Moto2 World Championship resumes with the Austrian Grand Prix, from August 15-17th.

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“We had a tricky weekend. On Friday the rain took away a very important part of our sessions, so we didn’t have track time in dry conditions. Deniz couldn’t make it into Q2 on the first day, and then in Qualifying he made a mistake that prevented him from being in the Top 4 in Q1. Collin also had some small issues during Qualifying, so he couldn’t place higher. Today we definitely took a step forward with both riders’ setups, because they felt comfortable during the race. Especially Deniz, who had a solid Sunday until just a few laps remained, then unfortunately had a small problem with the tyre that prevented him fighting for the Top 10. Collin was a little bit unlucky at the start of the race, but he was able to recover a lot of positions after that, showing a great pace during the second part of the race. It wasn’t our best weekend, but we take away important information for the future, to be better during the second part of the season.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“This last race weekend before the summer break is done. We took some points today after a good recovery. The pace was pretty ok during the first part of the race, because it’s not easy to keep it consistent when you have to overtake on every lap. After that, we reached the group that was fighting for ninth, but I suffered a little bit there, so we need to check with the team to see what happened in the last part of the race. We will work harder during the break to be stronger in the second half of the season. The next race is Austria, so it will be an important one to resume the campaign.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“We lost a lot of places during the two first laps. We need to analyse this because it’s something that is happening a lot and I need to correct it and be more aggressive. I need to be more focused because it’s something that penalises us a lot during the rest of the race. It’s a shame because I felt great today. The pace was really good and I was able to keep it quite consistent until the end. We finished only one place off the points, so we can take a lot of positive things from this weekend. We will work a lot during the break to arrive as prepared as possible in Austria.”

Rueda’s seventh win extends series lead before summer break

20.07.2025

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider breaks away from the main group to claim victory at Brno. Carpe couldn’t stay in the front group and finished 12th.

Red Bull KTM Ajo enjoyed a successful Czech GP race day on Sunday, with Jose Antonio Rueda’s seventh win of the season and ninth podium finish in twelve races. He led from start to finish, and remains the man to beat in the Moto3 class. Behind him, Alvaro Carpe, could not resist the pace of his teammate and had to settle for fighting for P12, which he finally achieved on the last lap.

Taking off from 2nd on the grid, Rueda took the holeshot and pushed hard to try to break free from the first corner. He was met with little response from any rival, and the Moto3 World Championship leader began to stretch the pack, creating a small gap. With the first third of the race completed, Rueda began to open a more significant advantage over the group, but not enough to completely escape. Two consecutive fastest laps, run at all-time track record pace, plus relentless overtaking behind him, finally allowed Rueda to pull away and gain a 1.5 second advantage. He managed both his riding and his tyres to up this lead to 3 seconds, then took the chequered flag alone for his seventh win of the season. Rueda now has 228 points, 85 more than his nearest rival.

Carpe’s solid start from 14th on the grid wasn’t sustained for long, as although he gained four places initially, his teammate’s demanding pace dropped the rookie away from the front group, leaving him in the fight for 13th place in the chasing pack. After enjoying limited track time due to crashes on both Friday and Saturday, the rookie had to fight for points against rivals more comfortable at Brno than him, managing to finish in 12th place ahead of the four-rider pack behind him. His four hard-fought points take him to 133 for the season, keeping him third in the overall standings, 10 points behind the rider in second place.

In conclusion, great weekend for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team, which broke a ten-year streak without a podium finish at Brno. Rueda’s victory move Red Bull KTM Ajo to twelve podium finishes from twelve rounds in 2025, and they continue to lead the Team standings with 361 points. The Moto3 World Championship returns in four weeks for the Austrian Grand Prix, on August 15-17th.

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“We have mixed feelings about this weekend. Jose Antonio showed again a lot of speed since the first Practice, and especially today in the race. He was absolutely dominating as he wanted to achieve another great victory. On the other hand, Alvaro couldn’t find the pace he wanted throughout the weekend. He was unfortunate with two crashes that cost him a lot of track time, but in general, he struggled to find a good feeling. For this reason, Tuesday’s test is very important; to try to find the way again and to come back stronger after the summer break.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“This was one of my best races of the year. I’m very happy and fortunate to be experiencing all of this. It’s difficult to break away at a circuit like this, especially at this stage of the season, where everyone is well versed and strong at every Grand Prix. We earned vital points for the title fight, which is the most important thing right now. Going into the summer break like this is priceless, so I’m looking forward to enjoying these weeks with my family and friends. I can only thank my team for all their work, and my team and everyone around me for their support over these last few months.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The race didn’t go as we expected, but we earned important points. We were hoping to be in the front group, but we needed to fine-tune some details on the bike during the rest of the weekend. It wasn’t an easy Grand Prix after the crashes on Friday and yesterday, but we’re still in the fight for the runner-up spot, so we have to always look for the positives. We’re satisfied with the learning and experience we’re gaining, so we’re going to rest for a few weeks to come back even stronger.”

Veijer takes best Qualifying result of the season with 16th in the Czech Republic

19.07.2025

The Dutch rider will head the sixth row of the grid at Brno. His teammate Öncü, who came very close to qualify for Q2, will start 21st.

The second day of the Czech Grand Prix concluded with Collin Veijer in 16th place on the grid, his best Qualifying result of the season so far. His teammate, Deniz Öncü, came very close to making it into Q2, but missed out and will have to start from 21st.

Unlike Friday, Saturday at the Czech GP was sunny and cloudless, allowing the Moto2 riders to compete in Free Practice 2 with complete confidence.

Öncü got off to a good start, focusing on his race pace. After returning to the pits, he moved on to preparing for Qualifying, looking for more speed and moving up to 16th in Free Practice 2 after a total of 11 laps. His best time was a 1:59.899. Veijer completed 15 laps, as he also worked on consistency at a track where tyre wear will be key in the race. Finally, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rookie took 23rd place, with a quickest time of 2:00.272 after 15 laps.

With Qualifying on the horizon, temperatures rose exponentially compared to the morning FP2 session.

Veijer continued to make good progress in Q2, earning his best Qualifying result of both season and his Moto2 career. The Dutch rider posted his best lap of the session just before heading into the pits to change tyres. Although he tried to lower it again in the final minutes, his 1:59.411 time remained his strongest, 8 tenths faster than his top lap from Friday. He rode 7 laps in the session.

Also with 7 laps done, Öncü was caught out in a very demanding session. He had put himself in fourth place before heading into the pits to prepare for the final minutes. From then on, he dropped to seventh before completing his final flying lap. On this last attempt, he had the fastest pace of any rider in the first three sectors, but a small error on the final two corners took him out of the equation and he remained in seventh. His 1:59.189 leaves him 21st on the grid. However, had he advanced to Q2, he would have qualified in 12th with the same time.

All in all, good feelings for the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders, although the results may be better tomorrow. After two days of progress, both Collin Veijer and Deniz Öncü will try to finish the Czech Republic Grand Prix in the points. The Moto2 Czech GP race will start at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday and will last 18 laps.

Qualifying Results
1. Barry Baltus (Kalex) | 1:58.322
2. Joe Roberts (Kalex) | 1:58.342 (+0.020)
3. Marcos Ramirez (Kalex) | 1:58.579 (+0.257)
4. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:58.711 (+0.389)
5. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 1:58.805 (+0.483)
16. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:59.411 (+1.089)
21. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:59.189 (+0.867)* – Q1

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It’s not the best result on the second day here at Brno. I was pushing a lot during my last lap in Q2, but on the last chicane I lost more than half a second because of a little mistake. I’m a little bit angry with myself about this, because it was so important to go through to Q2, but these things can happen. Now we can only focus on tomorrow’s race. It will be a long one, so I will push to the fullest in order to recover as many positions as possible, especially on the first few laps; that is the most important part of the race.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“The feeling wasn’t too bad today. In the morning we struggled a little bit on the long run, but we were ready for Qualifying. Then, in Q2, the first lap was quite difficult because I had a big moment at Turn 6, so it was a little bit tough for me to find a feeling. After that, we pushed with all we had and we achieved this 16th, which is not exactly what we wanted, but is good enough for tomorrow. We have to analyse a lot of things in order to be as prepared for tomorrow’s race as possible.”

Rueda just 26 thousandths of a second off Pole Position in Brno

19.07.2025

The Moto3 World Championship leader will start from the front row for the eighth time this season. Alvaro Carpe takes 14th on the grid after a difficult Saturday.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 had mixed fortunes in Qualifying for the Czech GP, with Jose Antonio Rueda claiming second on the grid. He was edged out of his fifth Pole Position of the season by Guido Pini, by 0.026 seconds. Alvaro Carpe, meanwhile, suffered a severe high-side in FP2, and in Q2 he was unable to make up for lost time and was 14th.

As expected, dry conditions and track temperatures as high as 24°C greeted the riders for FP2, which allowed the track record to be lowered once again.

Rueda proved formidable during the morning session, working on his own from start to finish to focus on his race pace. After a spell in third place on the timesheets, in the final minutes he strung together consecutive hot laps, setting the fastest time and, consequently, the all-time track record. His 2:05.421 was 4 tenths better than Carpe’s record from Friday, and was more than 2 tenths ahead of his rivals in the session. Rueda put in a total of 14 laps. Carpe had a session very similar to FP1. With just three flying laps completed, the rookie suffered a severe high-side exiting Turn 1, flying into the air and ending up in the gravel. He escaped without serious injury, but the bruised Spaniard was unable to return to the track due to the condition of his bike. He was 19th with a best time of 2:07.087.

In the afternoon, with track temperatures up to 34°C, Q2 got underway with all the riders following Rueda to try to get a tow. On the out-lap, he was already on the pace, and on his first flying lap he clocked a 2:05.2, beating his own morning time and also that of Angel Piqueras, who had gone faster in Q1. Rueda continued to lower his time again to 2:05.045, and after a pit stop he kept pushing to help his teammate. However, behind them, others also took advantage of Rueda’s slipstream. On the final hot lap, one of them, Guido Pini, snatched Pole by 0.026 seconds. Rueda, who completed 7 laps, will start second on the grid for the eighth time in twelve races. For Carpe, Q2 was a tough session, as he had missed out on track time in the morning due to his crash. It was his first full session in dry conditions in Brno, so he took the fifteen minutes runout calmly. After placing 13th on his first outing, Carpe tried to improve his time with the help of his teammate, but dropped off in the final metres and had to settle for 14th place. His fastest time from his six laps of Brno was a 2:06.132.

In conclusion, a great Saturday for Rueda but a bit more complicated for Carpe, who has not been able to do as many laps as he would have liked in the two first days of the Czech Grand Prix. The Moto3 race in Brno will take place on Sunday from 11am local time.

Qualifying Results
1. Guido Pini (KTM) | 2:05.019
2. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:05.045 (+0.026)
3. David Muñoz (KTM) | 2:05.057 (+0.038)
4. David Almansa (Honda) | 2:05.091 (+0.072)
5. Maximo Quiles (KTM) | 2:05.175 (+0.156)
14. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:06.132 (+1.113)

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“I’m happy to get on the front row of the grid here, at a new track that I hadn’t been familiar with until now. With the second tyre, we could have improved our time a bit more, but we couldn’t nail the hot lap completely and narrowly missed out on Pole. I like the layout and we feel very competitive here, so tomorrow we’ll go out to enjoy ourselves and try to have a great race. We’ll have to take the track conditions and tyre degradation into account, but we’ll give our all to get a good result before we head into the summer break.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It was a strange day today. We only qualified in 14th place after barely doing any laps in FP2, due to a heavy crash. Fortunately, we’re feeling ok, so we’ll give our all to try to score as many points as possible and go into the summer break with a good feeling. Through thick and thin, we continue to learn and gain experience, so we’re confident and motivated for the the final day here at Brno. The race looks like it’ll be run in groups, so we’re ready to fight.”

Veijer goes directly into Q2 for first time

18.07.2025

With the Dutchman 14th, the water has appeared in the Moto2 Practice at Brno. Öncü, just fourteen thousandths of a second behind his teammate, was 15th and will go through to Q1.

Friday at Brno was a positive day for Collin Veijer, who made it directly into Q2 for the first time since joining the Moto2 class. Whilst he placed 14th as rain appeared in the afternoon session, Deniz Öncü was caught out by the weather and finished 15th, just 0.014s off the cutoff for Q2.

Morning rain had stopped and the asphalt had improved slightly for the first Moto2 session, although track temperatures were only at 20ºC.

Öncü started strongly in FP1, and on his second flying lap the Turkish rider climbed to second place, although he eventually held a steady spot in the Top 10. With previous experience at Brno from 2019 and 2020, he quickly adapted to the new asphalt at the Czech track, and as the laps went by a dry line was established around the entire track, allowing him to focus on his pace. He completed 15 laps, his best a 2:12.767 that put him 14th. Veijer also began well, in conditions that usually suit him. Exploring the circuit lap after lap, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rookie made consistent progress up the timesheets, taking over 2 seconds off his top time with 15 minutes remaining and moving from 22nd to 18th. He continued to find his groove in the final stretch without focusing on Time Attack, which resulted in him finishing 21st with a best lap of 2:13.365 and 18 laps completed.

Track temperatures on the dry surface had risen by 11ºC for the afternoon, albeit with an unfavourable weather forecast.

Veijer made it into the Top 14 early on, and remained 14th after six laps, until the appearance of rain which changed the panorama of the session until the very end. Within a few minutes, a torrential downpour came down, forcing everyone to head to Pit Lane. In the final minutes, and with the rain increasingly prevalent, only the Dutchman and one other rider decided to go out on track to test the conditions, although after two laps, they both decided to return to the box. Veijer secured his first direct spot in Q2, with a best time of 2:00.220 on his seventh attempt of ten. Öncü set a time almost exactly the same as his teammate (2:00.234), but had to settle for 15th place when the rain arrived. Just thousandths of a second outside the cut, he only put in six laps and will have to compete against several top competitors in Q1 on Saturday.

In conclusion, it was an exciting but bittersweet Friday for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team, who missed out to have both riders in Q2 by just a few thousandths of a second, with five riders within a tenth of a second of each other. Free Practice 2 on Saturday starts at 9:25 a.m. (local time). In the afternoon, Öncü will take part in Q1 at 1:45 p.m., with Veijer in Q2 from 2:10 p.m.

Practice Results
1. Joe Roberts (Kalex) | 1:59.032
2. Filip Salac (Boscoscuro) | 1:59.574 (+0.542)
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:59.604 (+0.572)
4. Marcos Ramirez (Kalex) | 1:59.719 (+0.687)
5. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 1:59.771 (+0.739)
14. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:00.220 (+1.188)
15. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 2:00.234 (+1.202)

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“This first day in Brno was with mixed conditions. We will have to go into Q1 tomorrow, so it’s not an easy weekend for us. There is no more rain expected for the rest of the weekend, so this is positive. We were a little bit unlucky this afternoon during the Practice: when I was coming out the pits with the new tyre on, heavy rain started to fall, so it was impossible to improve. In the dry we’re not so far off the pace, so we’ll try to improve some things for tomorrow and fight to be in Q2, which will be very important for Sunday’s race. As always, we will take away the positives and we look forward to the second day.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“Today wasn’t so bad. This morning we had a little bit of a problem with engine braking, but we managed things quite well. The feeling is OK here; we still need to find something more to take a step forward in comparison with Sachsenring, but we’re on the way to doing that. Every time we went out in the wet, it was going better and better, and Practice went quite well. We pushed from the beginning to achieve a good time before the rain arrived and we did it, so we will be in Q2 tomorrow. Let’s see how far up the grid we get, but for the moment, I’m satisfied. The track is beautiful, so let’s try to enjoy tomorrow, which will be an important day for us.”

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 one-two in Practice at Brno

18.07.2025

With Carpe leading the way by setting the all-time track record and Rueda second, the two moved into Q2 after a mixed Friday on a new track for both.

It was an unbeatable Friday for Alvaro Carpe and Jose Antonio Rueda at Brno. Carpe topped the timesheets in Practice, including setting a all-time track record, whilst Rueda was right behind him, demonstrating confidence and adaptability in all possible conditions. Tomorrow, once again directly in Q2, both will fight for Pole Position and the front row of the grid.

As has happened at recent Grands Prix, rain made an appearance in the Czech Republic. Free Practice 1 started with temperatures of 19°C on a damp track, which then gave way to rainfall.

Rueda started cautiously to explore the track without taking too many risks. Starting out in the Top 15, the Moto3 World Championship leader climbed positions as the laps passed, despite the arrival of the rain, rising to eighth with just over ten minutes left in the session. In the final minutes, Rueda improved again, setting a time of 2:14.677 on his 14th lap of a total of 16, which gave him sixth place.

Carpe wasn’t able to make the most of the session as much as his teammate. Despite starting out in the Top 10, he suffered a fast crash at Turn 11 on his fifth lap, leaving his bike severely damaged. Fortunately, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider was unharmed and was able to return to the pits, although the repair process took too long for him to get back on track. With just four laps completed, the rookie had to settle for 22nd place and a best time of 2:17.192.

In Practice, the track remained dry, despite the presence of clouds throughout the session. It was 12 degrees warmer on the track and there was much less humidity, and the session saw 24 of the 25 riders present beat the previous track record from 2014.

Carpe was convinced he could make up for all the time lost in the morning Free Practice and quickly got among the Top 5. From then on, he focused on adapting to the circuit and getting to know its characteristics better, and thus his place in Q2 wasn’t guaranteed until the final Time Attack. In this second and final outing, he made a great team effort alongside Rueda, which helped both beat their best time, with the rookie the fastest of the two. With this 2:05.840, Carpe shaved more than two seconds off the previous track record to lead Friday’s most important session, after 11 laps completed at Brno.

Rueda took a while to set his first flying lap after waiting several minutes to go out on track, in addition to encountering traffic on his first attempt. After an initial scare that nearly caused him to collide with several riders, Rueda rose into the Top 14 before heading to the pits. Upon exiting, he worked hard with Carpe to climb to second place and seal a one-two for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team. Just 0.157s slower than his teammate, Rueda set a 2:05.997 on his 11th flying lap out of 13.

All in all, it was a great day for the two Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders as they made their debut on a new track for both of them. With Free Practice 2 and Q2 as the next targets, we will have to wait until Saturday morning to find out whether the second day’s sessions will be held in the wet or the dry. Both riders will compete in FP2 on Saturday, starting at 8:40 a.m. (local time) and Q2 at 1:10 p.m.

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Our first day in Brno went very well. It’s a fun, wide track with many possible lines. It has a gradient, which is always different, so I really liked it. We’ve been watching races from previous editions and it’s gone well for us here right away, so I’m happy with the first sessions and with our adaptation. You can tell there isn’t much rubber laid down as the asphalt is new, but it has a lot of grip, both in the dry and the wet, so I’m very happy. It will be important to see how the tyres perform here to understand the degradation in the race, but so far, I’m satisfied with the feeling and the results.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It was a difficult start in the morning due to the crash, but we managed things well in Practice. I didn’t feel particularly comfortable this morning in the rain and I made a mistake that cost us almost the entire session. However, in the dry, I adapted quickly to the track and felt very fast right from the start. There are many possible lines in Brno and it’s easier to ride fast, so it wasn’t too difficult to understand how to ride here. We have to work on the tyres because the asphalt is new, and also on our race pace, but we’re learning and I’m sure we’ll be ready for Sunday.”

Öncü and Veijer arrive to the Czech Republic to close the first part of the season

16.07.2025

After victory in Sachsenring, the best track for the team in terms of results, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 move on to the returning Brno.

Deniz Öncü and Collin Veijer head into their second consecutive week of competition with confidence, as they prepare for their visit to the Brno Automotodrom in the Czech Republic. Öncü approaches the event off the back of a win at the German GP after a very solid weekend, while Veijer wants to continue to take steps forward after being competitive in all conditions at Sachsenring, where he finished just outside the points.

The German Grand Prix was confirmation of Öncü’s consistency, which he has shown since his victory at MotorLand. With a sixth place finish in Italy, a strong showing at Assen that allowed him to be in the Top 5 until a crash, and victory at the Sachsenring, he is on a solid run in Moto2. Unlike much of the field, the Turkish rider is already familiar with the Czech track that hosts this weekend’s event, as he competed there in 2019 to make his World Championship debut. Also in 2020, his first full season in Moto3, when he placed 15th, less than 2 tenths outside the Top 10 and earning points in the World Championship for the second time. This season, Öncü has 97 points to his name, and is sixth in the overall standings.

Veijer continues to gain experience and make steady progress in his adaptation to the Moto2 class. After a strong Friday in Germany, a Saturday high-side in unfavourable conditions changed the course of his weekend, resulting in him missing out on significant track time and starting far back on the grid. Despite he finally placed just outside the points, he showed a good pace throughout the race and move up many places. The Dutch rider will aim to return to the Top 15 at Brno, a track he’s unfamiliar with but which could suit his riding style. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rookie, who remains in 20th place in the standings with 13 points, is looking to head into the summer break with a strong result.

In conclusion, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team travels to the Czech Republic for the twelfth round of the season, just before the start of a three-week summer break. After GermanGP, the team are seventh overall in the Team standings, with 110 points. Their previous visits to Brno have seen them win in Moto2 with Johann Zarco (2015) and Miguel Oliveira (2018), as well as a third place for the latter in 2017.

The action, for the Moto2 class, will start on Friday at 9:50 a.m. (local time). On Sunday, at 12:15h, Deniz and Collin will take place in one of the races with less laps of the season (18) due to the length of the Czech track.

Circuit information – Automotodrom Brno
Length: 5.403 m / 3.357 miles
Width: 15 m / 49.21 ft.
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 8
Longest straight: 636 m / 2086.21 ft.
Constructed: 1987

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“We’re coming back to Brno after some years without racing there. I did my World Championship debut in 2019 there, and also the 2020 Grand Prix, so I know more or less the track. The goal for this weekend is the same of every round: work hard, be smart and try to achieve as many as possible points in Sunday’s race. We will try to enjoy it to the maximum and finish this first part of the season in the best possible way. I want to give a last one good result to the team before the summer break because I will miss them during these three weeks off.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This weekend we’re facing a new track. My feeling is getting better and better with every round, so let’s see what we can do at Brno. We want to improve on the results from Sachsenring, where we finished close to the points, so we will take away the positives from the GermanGP but also look at the things we can improve from there. It’s the last round before the summer break, so we’ll try to achieve a good result in order to start our holidays with a positive feeling -and also to prepare the second half of the season with more confidence and motivation.”

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 return to Brno for summer showdown

16.07.2025

Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe will race in the #CzechGP for the first time with the aim of leaving the Czech Republic first and second overall.

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s two Moto3 riders will make their first appearance at the Brno Automotodrom this coming weekend -the final round before the summer break. Jose Antonio Rueda, who recently increased his lead in the World Standings after a podium finish at the Sachsenring, will be looking to maintain his good form, while Alvaro Carpe will be aiming to reach again the second place in the overall standings.

Rueda arrives in Brno after battling adversity to finish third in Germany a week ago. He had to deal with changing conditions and a starting position far back on the grid, but was able to make a move up the field, only losing out on the win on the final corner of the race. After his eighth rostrum of the season in the shortest track of the calendar, he now takes on one of the longest ones -and one at which he has no previous experience, with the last CzechGP having been held in 2020. Rueda will try to increase his lead at the top of the overall standings, where he has 203 points, 73 more than nearest rival Angel Piqueras.

Carpe will also be making his Brno debut, although more than half of the tracks he’s raced at in 2025 have also been unfamiliar. The Sachsenring was one of them, and a place where he demonstrated confidence and speed in both dry and wet conditions. Starting from fifth place, he managed to move back to the front after a Long Lap penalty early on, but suffered from tyre wear on the closing laps. His fifth place was his fifth Top 5 finish in a row, after similar results in France, Aragon, Italy and the Netherlands. He occupies third place overall with 129 points, one fewer than Piqueras and 23 more than his closest competitor in the Rookie of the Year standings.

In conclusion, the twelfth Grand Prix of the season finally arrives after five years without hosting the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 grids. Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 have 332 points and lead the Team standings, and will be aiming for a podium finish they haven’t achieved at Brno since 2015, when Brad Binder took third place. The team are currently on a streak of 11 podium finishes in the first 11 Grands Prix of the season.

The 16-lap Moto3 Czech GP takes place on Sunday at 11am. The action gets underway from Friday in Free Practice 1, which begins at 9am.

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“We’re going to Brno, a new track for me, so we’ll start the weekend as always, working from scratch to get to Sunday as best prepared as possible. I hope the weather will also be good, so that I can enjoy the three days of the Grand Prix, and that I like the layout. It will be a significant challenge, not only because we’ll start with almost no references, but also because it’s the last round before the summer break, and we want to go into the holidays in the best possible position in the championship.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“It’s another new track we’re visiting, although this time it won’t be just me who has to deal with that. We’ve prepared as best we can, watching several races to get everything familiar, and it looks like it will be a fast track and the race will be in a group. We’re coming off several good results, including a fightback in this last one, so I’m looking forward to my debut at Brno and trying to close out this first half of the season feeling as good as possible.”

Öncü takes second win of 2025 at German Grand Prix

13.07.2025

The Turkish rider leads the race from start to finish at Sachsenring. Veijer finishes just outside the points in 16th.

Deniz Öncü emerged victorious in the Moto2 German Grand Prix, after putting in a stellar performance at the Sachsenring. The Turkish rider, who made a perfect start, was awarded the win when a red flag was shown on Lap 20. With this victory, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 has extended its love affair with the German track and now has six wins and ten podiums after ten editions. Collin Veijer had a solid race, climbing from 25th to 16th. However, the red flag did not allow him to fight for the points, which were just a few tenths of a second in front of him.

Whilst Saturday had been rainy the intermediate category race was held in perfect track conditions, with pleasant temperatures.

The race start saw many overtakes on the opening corners, and Öncü -from sixth on the grid- moved into third as soon as he reached Turn 1. The Turkish rider snatched the lead after the third lap and began to push solidly, with only Tony Arbolino and Barry Baltus able to chase him. After the sixth lap, Arbolino crashed, leaving Öncü and Baltus on their own, with Jake Dixon more than a second behind in third. As the laps passed, the large chasing group began to close in, but two big accidents allowed the pair to consolidate their advantage. A red flag with five laps remaining gave victory to Öncü, his second triumph of the season. The Turkish rider now moves up to sixth in the Moto2 World Championship with 97 points.

Veijer didn’t have the best start, dropping to 25th on the opening lap. After settling into the race, he was able to recover to move back up to 23rd, and battled with five other riders to fight for 18th place. He remained in this group until the race concluded, although incidents ahead of him enabled him to make up several positions. However, he had been running in 16th when the red flags came out at the Sachsenring, leaving him outside the points -just half a second behind fourteenth place. The Dutchman remains in 20th place overall, with 13 points.

Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 have now earned three podium finishes in 2025, with two victories and one second, and is sitting in seventh place in the Team standings with 111 points. They now move on to Brno, which will return to the international calendar from July 18-20th for the Czech Republic Grand Prix.

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“The weekend was very positive. Deniz showed great pace on Friday and Collin was very fast also on the first day. Unfortunately, Collin had a big crash yesterday morning and he lost a lot of track time because of that, so we were not able to qualify too high up. That makes things more difficult in Sunday’s race. Deniz, on the other hand, was very confident in wet conditions yesterday, and the second row is something really positive for us. Today, in the race, he was very aggressive at the beginning, with a great performance to take the lead. Then he had a very good pace until the end, keeping all the others behind, who were very close, out of his way. We couldn’t have known what would happen in the end, but the red flag stopped the race today and we achieved the victory. Definitely, we finished very happy with this incredible victory of Deniz and also with the performance of Collin.”

#53 DENIZ ÖNCÜ

“It’s very nice to win the race here again. Just before the race I spoke with the team about the strategy and we decided to try to take the lead and push as much as I could, so I decided to do that, because I was a little bit disappointed after Mugello, where I had a similar situation and I didn’t manage it in the same way. I’m very happy about how we worked during the while weekend, so I only can say thanks to my team. Of course, I was a little bit lucky because the red flag made the victory easier, but a win is a win. It was another great day for the Ajo family, so thank you to all of them. I want to dedicate this victory to Borja Gomez and all his family at this difficult time.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“It was a difficult start today, and we were struggling a little bit during the first few laps. After that, I managed the pace and our feeling grew, but we were very far off. Starting far back in Moto2 is usually something difficult to change, but we had enough pace to have been closer today. Overall, our feeling was quite good, but the weekend was difficult for us in general. We take away the positives and a lot of things in order to be better at Brno, where we will have to learn a new track.”

Rueda’s eighth podium finish at Sachsenring extends his series lead

13.07.2025

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider was third after leading until the last corner. Carpe, meanwhile, was fifth after completing a Long Lap.

Jose Antonio Rueda took his eighth podium of the season at the German Grand Prix. The general standings leader, who has managed to increase his lead to 73 points, earned third place as he was pipped to victory by just 0.250s in the last corner. Alvaro Carpe earned fifth place at the event, despite having to complete a Long Lap penalty, and he finished less than a tenth behind his teammate and three tenths from victory in a very close finish of the #GermanGP. All in all, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team reaches the halfway point of the season with eleven podium finishes in eleven Grands Prix.

Rueda took off from 12th on the grid, and needed just three laps to join the group of 15 riders fighting for the rostrum. Little by little, the Moto3 World Championship leader overtook rivals until he took the lead for the first time on Lap 11. From then on, the pace at the front and several crashes spread out the group, with Rueda leading the way. He was in front until the final corner, when David Muñoz and Maximo Quiles -making slight contact with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 rider, got past, relegating him to third place at the chequered flag. He was just 0.009s off second place, but nevertheless took his eighth podium finish from eleven Grands Prix and increases his lead in the overall standings, where he has 203 points and a 73-point advantage over his closest rival.

Carpe was 5th on the grid, and gained a place at the tight Turn 1 when the lights went out. The race became difficult for him early on, after he received a Long Lap penalty for clipping David Almansa at the start. The rookie decided to serve the penalty straight away, but lost contact with the group as a result, as the Long Lap route located on the final corner before a steep start/finish straight. With his punishment served, Carpe began a comeback that culminated just past the halfway point, cutting up to two seconds off the lead group. From 16th, he rose up the order lap after lap, finally entering the Top 10 with just six laps remaining. With three laps to go, Carpe was in sixth place, waiting for the right moment to make his final attack. He was only able to recover one more position after Taiyo Furusato crashed at Turn 12, coming home in fifth place. The rookie finished just 3 tenths of a second off the victory. He is now third in the overall standings with 129 points, just one point behind second-placed Angel Piqueras.

Good weekend overall for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, which have an even stronger lead in the team standings with 332 points, 141 more than their closest rivals. The next round takes place next weekend in the Czech Republic where the second double of the season will be completed before the start of the summer break. The twelfth Grand Prix of the season will be held at Brno (July 18-20th), which returns to the MotoGP World Championship calendar.

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“It was another successful weekend for us. They weren’t easy conditions this weekend, especially yesterday in Qualifying, but we managed things quite well. Jose Antonio suffered a little bit after some yellow flags in the closing minutes of Q2, but today in the race we were luckier with the conditions than yesterday. He had a great race and also made a great start to catch the group. He led the last part of the race and had a very good performance, but was a little bit unfortunate on the last corner when he was overtaken by two riders. In any case, he extended his lead in the World Championship, which is very important. Alvaro also had a great race, but was a little unfortunate with his Long Lap. During his comeback, he used a little bit more of the rear tyre than the other riders, so it was quite difficult to attack in the end. It was another great result for him at a track where he had never been before, so it’s been a great weekend for the team.”

#99 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“Another great weekend is in the bag. This is a track I really like, and things went very well. Obviously, I would have liked to have won, but Moto3 races are like this, and we have to understand that. It was clear we had to take a chance on the last lap, but the rest of the riders did the same, and sometimes it pays off and other times it doesn’t. We’ve got another podium finish, which I want to dedicate to Borja Gomez. I want to send all the support I can to his family and loved ones during these difficult times. Tomorrow we’ll focus on Brno, which is just around the corner. It will be important to close out this first half of the season in the best possible way.”

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“I’m very happy with the job that we’ve done throughout the weekend. The Sachsenring was another track I wasn’t familiar with, and we were able to adapt to all the conditions present. We finished the race quite well, although things got a little tricky when we took the Long Lap. We were able to control the situation and climb back up the order. I can only thank the team for their commitment and remember Borja Gomez, who I’m sure helped me manage today’s situation from up above.”

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