# Deniz Öncü

Deniz Öncü (born 26 July 2003) is a Turkish motorcycle racer, currently competing in the Moto2 World Championship, for team Red Bull KTM Ajo. His twin brother, Can, is also a motorcycle racer. Both brothers are mentored by Turkish multi-world champion motorcycle racer, Kenan Sofuoğlu.

## Career
### Early career

Deniz, and his twin brother Can, competed in the Asia Talent Cup in 2016, Deniz finishing in 10th, and Can in 9th. They would compete again in 2017, Deniz becoming champion, and Can finishing 3rd. They both entered the 2017 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, Deniz finishing 4th, and Can in 3rd. Just like with the Asia Talent Cup, they would try again in 2018, Deniz finishing as runner-up this time, behind his brother Can who was crowned champion.
For 2018, as well as competing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, both Can and Deniz joined Ajo Motorsport, and raced in the 2018 FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, Deniz finishing in 14th, and Can finishing in 7th with three podiums.

### Moto3 World Championship
#### Red Bull KTM Ajo (2019)

In 2019, Deniz made two wildcard race appearances with Red Bull KTM Ajo after reaching the minimum age of 16 for the world championship class, finishing 18th in Germany, and 17th in the Czech Republic. Can had been permitted to race from the start of the season, despite being below the minimum age of 16, as he received a special dispensation by Dorna after winning the 2018 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, and the 2018 Valencian Grand Prix as a wildcard. Deniz replaced Can for a further three rounds, after Can suffered an injury at the Misano round, finishing in 16th, 24th, and 19th.

#### Red Bull KTM Tech3 (2020–2022)

For 2020, Deniz Öncü made his full season debut with Red Bull KTM Tech3. He achieved nine point scoring finishes, 50 points total, a season's best result being a 6th place in Valencia, and finished 17th in the riders' championship.
Öncü continued with Tech3 for the 2021 season, and he achieved his first Moto3 podium with a 3rd place finish in Barcelona, followed by two 2nd places in Austria and Aragon. He also scored his first Pole Position in Austria, but had to start from the back of the grid, because his Tech3 team elected to switch him to slick tyres, and finished just seconds after the three-minute board was shown. After the race in Austin, he was given a two race ban, after being deemed to have caused a massive incident involving clipping Jeremy Alcoba's front wheel, who went tumbling across the track, his bike being struck by Andrea Migno and Pedro Acosta, who both went airborne. Luckily all riders involved miraculously walked away from the incident unscathed, and Öncü was replaced by Daniel Holgado for the two race ban. Deniz finished the season with three podiums, 11th in the championship standings, and 95 points.

#### Return to Red Bull KTM Ajo (2023)

He competes for Red Bull KTM Ajo with teammate José Antonio Rueda in the 2023 season, and he won his first race in the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring.

### Moto2 World Championship
#### Red Bull KTM Ajo (2024-)

Red Bull KTM Ajo has announced the 2024 Moto2 rider line-up by promoting Oncu from Moto3 to be paired with Celestino Vietti.

## Career statistics
### Asia Talent Cup
#### Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos | Pts |
| 2016 | Honda | THA1 11 | THA2 9 | QAT1 12 | QAT2 15 | MAL1 Ret | MAL2 14 | CHN1 6 | CHN2 6 | JPN1 Ret | JPN2 10 | SEP1 5 | SEP2 3 | 10th | 72 |
| 2017 | Honda | THA1 1 | THA2 1 | QAT1 Ret | QAT2 5 | SUZ1 Ret | SUZ2 5 | MAL1 6 | MAL2 2 | JPN1 3 | JPN2 3 | SEP1 7 | SEP2 4 | 1st | 156 |

### FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship
#### Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos | Pts |
| 2018 | KTM | EST 24 | VAL1 Ret | VAL2 14 | LMS 14 | CAT1 9 | CAT2 Ret | ARA 7 | JER1 7 | JER2 6 | ALB 32 | VAL1 24 | VAL2 26 | 14th | 39 |
| 2019 | KTM | EST 28 | VAL1 Ret | VAL2 Ret | FRA 8 | CAT1 Ret | CAT2 8 | ARA 11 | JER1 13 | JER2 4 | ALB 7 | VAL1 Ret | VAL2 Ret | 12th | 46 |

### Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
#### Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos | Pts |
| 2017 | JER1 Ret | JER2 9 | ASS1 11 | ASS2 5 | SAC1 1 | SAC2 Ret | BRN1 9 | BRN2 1 | RBR1 8 | RBR2 5 | MIS 4 | ARA1 4 | ARA2 6 | 4th | 135 |
| 2018 | JER1 4 | JER2 3 | MUG 6 | ASS1 4 | ASS2 5 | SAC1 1 | SAC2 2 | RBR1 4 | RBR2 4 | MIS 8 | ARA1 1 | ARA2 1 | | 2nd | 192 |

### Grand Prix motorcycle racing
#### By season

| Season | Class | Motorcycle | Team | Race | Win | Podium | Pole | FLap | Pts | Plcd |
| 2019 | Moto3 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35th |
| 2020 | Moto3 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 17th |
| 2021 | Moto3 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 11th |
| 2022 | Moto3 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 200 | 5th |
| 2023 | Moto3 | KTM | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 20 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 223 | 4th |
| 2024 | Moto2 | Kalex | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 20th |
| 2025 | Moto2 | Kalex | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6* | 16th* |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 95 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 623 | |

#### By class

| Class | Seasons | 1st GP | 1st Pod | 1st Win | Race | Win | Podiums | Pole | FLap | Pts | WChmp |
| Moto3 | 2019–2023 | 2019 Czech Republic | 2021 Catalunya | 2023 Germany | 76 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 568 | 0 |
| Moto2 | 2024–present | 2024 Qatar | 2024 Aragon | | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0 |
| Total | 2019–present | 2019–present | 2019–present | 2019–present | 95 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 623 | 0 |

#### Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Pos | Pts |
| 2019 | Moto3 | KTM | QAT | ARG | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | CZE 18 | AUT 17 | GBR | RSM 16 | ARA 24 | THA 19 | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | | | | 35th | 0 |
| 2020 | Moto3 | KTM | QAT 12 | SPA 25 | ANC Ret | CZE 15 | AUT 8 | STY Ret | RSM 16 | EMI 7 | CAT Ret | FRA 22 | ARA 15 | TER 7 | EUR 14 | VAL 6 | POR 10 | | | | | | | | 17th | 50 |
| 2021 | Moto3 | KTM | QAT 20 | DOH 18 | POR 15 | SPA 20 | FRA 9 | ITA Ret | CAT 3 | GER 16 | NED 15 | STY 21 | AUT 2 | GBR 8 | ARA 2 | RSM 21 | AME 5 | EMI | ALR | VAL 5 | | | | | 11th | 95 |
| 2022 | Moto3 | KTM | QAT 4 | INA 5 | ARG 14 | AME 5 | POR 4 | SPA 4 | FRA 9 | ITA 15 | CAT 5 | GER 7 | NED 9 | GBR 3 | AUT 4 | RSM 4 | ARA 4 | JPN 15 | THA 17 | AUS 2 | MAL 10 | VAL 2 | | | 5th | 200 |
| 2023 | Moto3 | KTM | POR 10 | ARG 24 | AME 6 | SPA 9 | FRA 6 | ITA 2 | GER 1 | NED 3 | GBR 11 | AUT 1 | CAT 11 | RSM 3 | IND 14 | JPN Ret | INA 8 | AUS 1 | THA 5 | MAL 11 | QAT 3 | VAL 5 | | | 4th | 223 |
| 2024 | Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 15 | POR 20 | AME 22 | SPA 14 | FRA 18 | CAT 19 | ITA 13 | NED | GER | GBR | AUT 11 | ARA 3 | RSM 19 | EMI Ret | INA 9 | JPN 17 | AUS 21 | THA 10 | MAL 7 | SLD 21 | | | 20th | 49 |
| 2025 | Moto2 | Kalex | THA 12 | ARG 14 | AME | QAT | SPA | FRA | GBR | ARA | ITA | NED | GER | CZE | AUT | HUN | CAT | RSM | JPN | INA | AUS | MAL | POR | VAL | 16th* | 6* |
* Season still in progress.