Press Release | September 8, 2018
KTM Racing’s Recap of Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in Misano
This is a press release from KTM…
The Öncü brothers did the leading and the winning at Misano with Can Öncü taking victory and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2018. The 15-year-old Turks had to fight all the way with seven other KTM RC 250 RBs and while Deniz Öncü did most of the leading, a tiny error at the end left him crossing the line a furious eighth. Filip Salač, the 15-year-old Czech, took a super-close second ahead of Spanish 15-year-old Adrián Carrasco.
For most of the race, Can was not in a Cup-winning position, with 50 points still on offer at the final round in Aragon he needed a decent finish as his brother and arch rival Deniz was heading the field. At one point Deniz managed to break away by almost a second but that lasted less than a lap with Salač leading Can and the rest back onto his tail.
C. Öncü: “I can’t believe what a perfect day this is. To win the Cup by winning the race is perfect. It was such a tough race. Early on I was not so comfortable, I felt that the grip was not as good as yesterday and my front suspension was not perfect. So I calmed myself down and started to understand the situation. I realised that the others were not getting away but they were racing so hard that they were using up their tires. So I waited for the right time to push. Then I went for it. It was still a tough race but I managed to slipstream past Salač and win. It worked perfectly. A huge thanks to all the people who work so hard to make the Cup work and to those who support us.”
Results Race Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2018
All riders on KTM RC250 RB bikes
1. Can Öncü (TUR), 30:19.316 min (17 laps)
2. Filip Salač (CZE), +0.118 sec
3. Adrián Carrasco (ESP), +0.300
4. Ryusei Yamanaka (JAP), +0.656
5. Xavier Artigas (ESP), +0.764
Standings Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2018 after 10 of 12 races
1. C. Öncü, 221 (2018 Champion)
2. Deniz Öncü (TUR), 142
3. Salač, 142
4. Artigas, 135
5. Yamanaka, 117