Red Bull KTM Ajo and Red Bull KTM Tech3 will once more field young athletes and hopeful MotoGP stars of tomorrow through Moto™3 and Moto2™ categories in 2023. The KTM GP Academy is now solidified and in place for next season and welcomes two new names into the fold.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo team will again run four racers in both classes while the Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad will once more focus on Moto3. The roster has been mixed to offer a blend of experience and youth in both outfits.
Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 with the KTM RC4:
Deniz Öncü - The 19-year-old Turk already has four podiums to his name – including one finish and three Pole Positions in 2022 where he has also registered nine top five classifications to sit at the higher end of the championship standings. Öncü, a former Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup runner-up, raced for the Ajo squad for two years in FIM JuniorGP in 2018 and 2019. 2023 will be his fourth term in Moto3 and continues a long-standing path of development with KTM’s RC4.
Jose Rueda: - One of two new rookies to the Moto3 wing of the KTM GP Academy. Jose Antonio is 16 years old and claimed the 2022 FIM JuniorGP title this summer, two rounds before the end of the season. The teenager is also leading the current Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and could wrap-up both series; the two last stepping stones to Moto3.
Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 with:
Pedro Acosta - The 18-year-old won the Moto3 world championship in his first season in 2021 and has already made his mark in Moto2 as a rookie again by winning two events and obtaining three podium results. Only a mid-season training injury prevented the Spaniard from hunting for more trophies. 2023 will be his third season with Red Bull KTM Ajo in Grand Prix racing.
Albert Arenas - Another former Moto3 world champion, this time from 2020 with the KTM RC4, Arenas has been discovering the intricacies of the Moto2 class in 2021 and 2022 and has emerged as a rider with race-leading pace this campaign. The 25-year-old Spaniard will continue his education in Red Bull KTM Ajo colors in 2023.
Red Bull KTM Tech3 retain their high-profile presence in Moto3 and on the KTM RC4 with:
Daniel Holgado – The Spaniard has already qualified on the front row and walked the Moto3 rostrum in his first season and now transfers into Hervé Poncharal’s set-up for this second campaign in the contest in 2023; he previously made two GP wildcard appearances for the team. Holgado’s speed has been clear to chart. He has progressed brilliantly in 2022 and since he was 2021 FIM JuniorGP champion and classified 3rd in Red Bull MotoGP Rookies during the same season.
Filippo Fairoli – The 17-year-old Italian has been plucked from the 2022 FIM JuniorGP and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup series’ after impressive displays and race-winning potential. He is the second Academy Grand Prix debutant for 2023.
The KTM GP Academy has been responsible for helping almost ten Grand Prix racers filter through Moto3 and Moto2 to enter the premier class of MotoGP. The roots of the structure stretch back into the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies program and other schemes such as the Northern Talent Cup and FIM JuniorGP.
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Ajo Team Principal: “I think we need to be very happy with the KTM Academy results in the last years, with many riders taking wins and even championships. With the new riders in our team and together with Red Bull KTM Tech3 we have the chance to again improve and build. In Moto3 Deniz returns after sharing some very good years with us in the FIM CEV and some Grand Prix wildcards in 2018 and 2019. José Antonio Rueda will be our other rider: He has shown great potential not only in Junior GP, where he was crowned champion this year, but also in the Rookies Cup. We believe that the combination of an experienced racer and a young one fits very well with our philosophy. This is also a mix for our Moto2 guys with Pedro continuing his fast development and Albert growing into the category and still with a lot to show. It’s a promising collection for us and even though 2022 is still running we are very positive about what 2023 might bring.”
Hervé Poncharal, Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Principal: “Daniel Holgado and Filippo Farioli will be with us next season and I am super happy to have them. First of all, I am extremely excited to welcome Dani back. We always believed in him and he is currently doing an awesome rookie season. I want us to fight for podiums and victories next season and I am sure we will as he is a very talented rider in addition to being such a gentleman. Filippo will complete our line-up for a rookie season in the Moto3 World Championship. He has been showing incredible progress in the second part of 2022 in both the FIM JuniorGP, where he won in Misano, and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in which he is often a front runner. He is such an interesting kid, full of life and I am sure that he will fit in our family. We would like to thank KTM and Red Bull for their continued support, and we can’t wait to be in 2023.”