Red Bull KTM Tech3 saw the 2022 season coming to an end today at the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana. It was an extremely emotional day as both Deniz Oncu and Adrian Fernandez were racing for the last time with the team before flying to new horizons next year.

Turkish Deniz Oncu was starting from the front row in P2 and had his eyes set on the win to close his three year-journey with Red Bull KTM Tech3. When the lights went out, he took a great start and quickly made the gap with the other riders, together with newly crowned champion Izan Guevara. Both provided an incredible race pace during the twenty-three final laps of 2022, with Deniz Oncu registering the new fastest race lap in 1’38.790. He pushed until the end and we all thought that the dream of winning would come true until the final corner, but Guevera got the best and left Oncu seeing the checkered flag in second, only 0.062 seconds too late. After three years, four podiums, six front row starts including four pole positions, a fifth place in the championship and two hundreds points this year, a lot of laughs but also cries, Deniz Oncu’s adventure with the Tech3 family comes to an end. It has been a pleasure, and the entire Red Bull KTM Tech3 family wishes him the best for the future.

Adrian Fernandez also finished his adventure with a bang today after an incredible remontada from P24 all the way to P6. Within four laps, he had already made his way to the sixteenth place before continuing his ascension towards the leading group. After a few strong overtakes, he made his entrance to the top 10 with ten laps to go. Eager for more, the Spaniard gave an extra push and finished his final race of the season in P6, his second best result of the 2022 campaign, at the end of which he ranked twentieth, with fifty-one points. The entire team also wishes the best to Adrian for his future, as we hope to see him again in the paddock.

That’s a wrap for 2022 as Red Bull KTM Tech3 closes this chapter fifth in the Team World Championship, with a total of 251 points, the best result of the team since its creation in 2020. We will be back next year, for many more stories to be written.

Deniz Öncü

Position: 2^nd

Championship: 5^th

Points: 200

"It was the last race of 2022, but most importantly the final one with my Tech3 family, with whom I have been for three years. I am really proud of what we have achieved together, and they helped me a lot to become the rider I am today. Of course today, all I wanted was to win. I gave all I could until the end, but in the last corner I went too deep and lost the lead in the final straight. However, it is nice to be finishing this chapter with a second place, and seeing everyone with a smile on their face is the only thing I could ask for. Thank you to every single member of this team, it has been an amazing three year-journey, and I will keep it in my heart forever."

Adrian Fernandez

Position: 6^th

Championship: 20^th

Points: 51

"I felt good on the bike from the first lap of the race today. Starting from P24 was not ideal, but I had a really good pace and overtook riders progressively and I finished in P6 for my last race of the season. I would like to say a big thank you to my whole team for this season, it was a really good year for me."

Hervé Poncharal

Team Manager

"What a race! Of course, I can not hide the fact that both Deniz Oncu and ourselves wanted our three year-partnership to end with a first win. Unfortunately for us, the dream went away a few meters away from the checkered flag. The final sector in Valencia is a tough sector to handle. He could have stayed behind to try having a better exit of the corner in order to pass Guevara, but it would have been risky. Instead he decided to come inside but with less speed out of the corner, it was not enough. It was still an incredible race from him, to close a fantastic season with the Red Bull KTM Tech3. Unfortunately, it is never easy to be fully happy when you see your rider come to Parc Fermé in tears, and not of happiness, because it shows that we were so close. 

Seing both Oncu and Guevara with such a big gap from the other riders shows the incredible they had today. Izan is the new Moto3 World Champion, he is a stunning rider, and we were the only ones to be able to stay with him today. We did our best today, and we are very proud to finish the season with Deniz fifth in the riders championship.

Adrian Fernandez did an exceptional race, from P24 to P6. It shows that when he is feeling well, he can fight with the best riders of the world, and can be a top rider. Unfortunately, our adventure together stops today, but I wish him the best of luck for the future. He has always been positive with us and I hope that he learnt a lot this year. I hope that he will find a good team next year to show what he is capable of.

This is it for 2022, thank you to the entire team for their work all season long. Have a good winter, and...Vive 2023."