MotoGP
72 Hours with MotoGP™ wild child Deniz Öncü
This instalment of our 72 Hours With series follows one of the most interesting characters in MotoGP™ – get up to speed with how Turkish racer Deniz Öncü fared in Indonesia.
Deniz Öncü is a MotoGP™ rider who’s divided opinion like few others. But he’s also exactly what this sport needs, and he won over race fans everywhere in 2023 with his Moto3 wins. Now he's destined for a Moto2 seat next year.
We start back in 2016 with a social media photo from the Malaysian Grand Prix of MotoGP™ legend Valentino Rossi shaking the hand of a pint-sized racer as he passed through Parc Fermé from the Asia Talent Cup race – a promotional series that leads to Red Bull Rookies Cup and ultimately MotoGP™.
This was Deniz’s first viral moment on his extraordinary journey so far in motorcycle racing. He and his twin brother Can, both 13 years old at the time, had just taken their first podium in the final race of their first season in the category.
This edition of our series takes place at the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix. A 20-minute chat kicks off the weekend, and be warned: Deniz is as cheeky as they get, and his craft of the English language is superb, yet rather flowery.
“50 percent pain in the ass, 50 percent lovely kid” is how his team coordinator, Laura, describes him. That statement proves to be true just before our interview begins, as Deniz decides to take my phone and prank her on WhatsApp, pretending to be me and complaining that Deniz hasn’t arrived on time before I clear things up with a photo of him flipping the bird at the camera.
Deniz is as cheeky as they get
© Matt Dunn
It’s Friday, a couple hours after he’s completed the two practice sessions, finishing top of the times. His eyes glisten and he smiles from ear to ear as he's reminded of that moment back in Malaysia. “Fuck,” he says. “I was so emotional then, that day I was living my dream!”
Since then, let’s just say Deniz has been on one wild ride of a character arc and is currently at the stage where he’s made that next step towards MotoGP™ stardom.
The incredible thing about that day in Malaysia is that was where things began to fall into place for the Öncü twins. Up until taking that chequered flag, the Asia Talent Cup had been a humbling experience for the pair after coming in with sky-high expectations.
“In Turkey, me and my brother were unstoppable," says Deniz. "We even decided before the races who was going to be first and who second! We were just winning, enjoying and destroying everybody.”
They had been competing in Motocross and Supermoto (think, MX bikes with slick tyres on a mix of asphalt and dirt circuits), wiping the floor with the competition. They transitioned full-time to asphalt in 2015, having been talent spotted by none other than five-time World Supersport Champion and national hero in Turkey, Kenan Sofuoğlu.
Deniz Öncü races at the Sachsenring Circuit
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Though their talent was obvious, it was far from plain sailing in pre-season testing for the ATC in early 2016.
“Honestly, we were thinking we would win after how fast we were in Turkey, but we saw we were one of the last," he says. "The other riders in the first test were eight or nine seconds ahead of us – ‘what the fuck is this place?!’ we said.”
A slap in the face, no doubt. But like all up-and-coming athletes that have that extra spark, when the going gets tough – the tough get going.
In 2017, they went a step further with Deniz taking the ATC title and Can in third, all while starting out in the Red Bull Rookies Cup – the next step on the ladder. The pair finished third and fourth at their first attempt. In 2018, Can took the Rookies Cup title with Deniz a close second. By this time, the twins were causing quite the stir in MotoGP™ circles.
Despite being only 15 and the minimum age limit to compete in the Moto3 World Championship being 16, Can’s Rookies Cup title permitted him to compete in a wild card race in Valencia, Spain, for the final round of the season. He stunned the entire motorcycle world in the wet conditions, winning his debut race and becoming the youngest winner in history, a record that had stood for ten years.
But it seems that this didn't go down too well with Deniz.
“When he won Rookies Cup and I was second, I was so mad because he was going up [to Moto3] and I had to race in the Junior Championship," says Deniz. "My brother was in Moto3, but I wasn’t. I was so angry. How was this possible? It was eating me up from the inside.”
Can Öncü celebrates making MotoGP history in Valencia
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Can Öncü celebrates his debut Moto3 victory
© Toni Börner
But there was a twist in fortune from that moment for the brothers. After such a triumphant first outing, Can delivered some disappointing results in his full-time Moto3 season in 2019 and was subsequently struck out and moved to World Supersport in 2020, while Deniz secured a full-time ride in Moto3.
It would be wrong at this point to gloss over how frustrating it was to watch his first few seasons at world level. Deniz quickly became as notorious for his wild moves and crash-happy riding style as he was for his raw speed and talent. To put it kindly, he struggled to endear himself to fans and paddock members alike for quite some time.
2021 made for particularly difficult viewing. His next ‘viral’ moment, so to speak, came while in contention for his first podium at round four in Jerez. Deniz wiped out two other riders in the final corner with an over-optimistic move. Such attempts are expected into final turns, but this was quite extreme.
He did manage, however, to secure that elusive first podium just a few rounds later in Barcelona, and another two followed before things took a downward turn again.
The season ended on the sourest note of all as he received a two-race ban after causing a multi-rider pile-up while racing at top speed down the back straight in Austin, Texas. He was too wild and it was very apparent that if things didn’t start to change, he would face a similar fate to his brother as far as his Grand Prix career was concerned.
It’s somewhat paradoxical that the reason for Deniz’s speed and what could make him a MotoGP™ star in a few years almost led to cutting his career short. Day to day at home, he still trains with Kenan Sofuoglu, his brother Can, Kenan’s nephew and World Supersport racer Bahattin Sofuoglu, as well as 2021 World Superbike Champion, Toprak Razgatioglu. Their training regime is intense, from the frequency of riding to how they compete against each other.
“When you see something crazy from me, for me it’s normally because in training with Toprak or Kenan, my brother, we are some of the best riders in the world," explains Deniz. "What I learn there, I do here, and the normal thing there for riders is crazy because the riders here can be really soft. I mean, come on, you cannot be so soft and complain!”
Deniz Öncü
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Deniz is no longer the pocket rocket of his ATC days either – now he’s one of the taller riders on the Moto3 grid, leaving him with a significant disadvantage on the straights, which he therefore has to compensate for in the corners.
There’s a character trait though which might explain his over-erratic moves:
“I’m always happy or smiling… but then when something [frustrating] happens, I don’t know how to describe it but my eyes are turning [rolling], I’m going to a different character and losing control.”
If 2020-2021 were Deniz’s villain years, then 2022 was his season of redemption. It was clear he was learning to calm himself during races, while maintaining that wildly exciting, elbow-rubbing riding style. He took six top-five finishes before his first podium of the year at round 12. Another three top-four followed, as well as two-second places. No wins, though – yet.
It was obvious Deniz was more controlled as he finished every race that season. Even clearer was his disadvantage on the straight was taking such a toll that there was a mental barrier forming between him and standing on the top of that podium. He could barely look anyone in the eye after so narrowly missing out on victory in Valencia, he was so furious.
“The problem was that I couldn’t accept what was happening," he says. "I didn’t win, got mad – but I said OK, this is not the way. I started accepting what was happening because when you do this, you start to work for it.”
The win was coming, and by this time, a change in attitude towards the #53 spread throughout the MotoGP™ community. People started rooting for him to get that first win. He became the loveable underdog.
Crew chief Niklas Ajo gives some advice to Deniz Öncü before the big race
© Matt Dunn
Deniz slotted into place for 2023 when he was moved from the Tech3 team into Aki Ajo’s squad. The Finnish veteran team manager is a master of self-control and has taken many a rider to victories and World Championships. Though Deniz will attest with a laugh that he’s probably Aki’s biggest challenge yet.
“This year the team is fighting with me to help me control myself in these [frustrating] moments," says Deniz. "Three or four people are holding me back, stopping me from destroying things around me!”
Together, he and the team have been working on his mindset and control, something that’s perfectly illustrated as he heads out to race in Indonesia. Two words uttered by his crew chief, former Moto3 racer and son of Aki, Niklas Ajo, are: “Calculated risks.” No butt pat, no “good luck" – just two calm but firm words.
Deniz explains his new thought process every time he hits the track: “I have a button that I press and switch off all my emotions now. Like a robot, let’s say… Every time I try to do this until the chequered flag, I keep the control and be calm. Even when a rider makes a stupid mistake or touches me, that’s OK – he just wants to show how strong he is, too.
"I just try not to show when I’m angry now. When I’m angry, the only thing I can still remember is to leave the box, go to the truck and my office and do what I have to do, but not in the box. Leave the situation."
Providing post-race reaction in Indonesia
© Matt Dunn
Chaos is in my life. I enjoy it. If everything is under control in your life, you don’t enjoy it. You need some adrenaline
This method certainly did the trick back in Germany this year, where he finally claimed a win with a final lap, final corner pass. His second victory followed in Austria. But here in Indonesia? He had to settle for eighth. ‘Eighth?! What happened there?’ you might ask. This is Moto3 – the closest racing on Earth – he finished 0.8 seconds off the win. That’s basically a blink of an eye.
Deniz’s team-mate Pedro Acosta took the win in Moto2 that day, so he was close by celebrating with his crew when we caught up with Deniz looking a little dejected next to the hotel pool on Sunday evening. The scene would have made a decent painting, and he didn't have much to say when asked about the race: “Moto3 chaos,” is his only explanation, before going back to flicking through his Instagram.
When the racing’s like that, it’s more like the lottery than strategy. But on the flip side, it was only seven days later in Australia that he was on top of the podium once more, a win that put him back in the championship hunt after a disappointing few races.
Would Deniz be as talented on a motorcycle without that wild side? And would he even want to extinguish this part of him anyway? “No. In one way, yes. But in another, no," he says after that win in Australia. "Because this is my character. When I’m crazy, I’m crazy, and everyone knows that I’m crazy – and that’s OK. For me, it’s normal.
"The part we all want to change is to just be more calm. Less mistakes, more focused.”
Out of all the riders we’ve spoken to so far this year, Deniz seems the most intriguing. There probably isn't anyone in the current crop of riders who's had such a rollercoaster story arc so early in their career – especially when you factor in the context of his twin brother competing with him as well.
There’s no doubt that Deniz has learned to keep his wild side at bay, but it’s a continuous work in progress – and he’ll be the first to admit that mistakes will happen, but now they don’t originate from being out of reasonable control.
“In the circuit, you can trust me. Well, trust? Don’t trust. But think that I am calm,” he says with a chuckle.
"Chaos is in my life. I enjoy it. If everything is under control in your life, you don’t enjoy it. You need some adrenaline! Even one day, you’re tired or bored, if you have something to be nervous about or give you some adrenaline - I need this.”
That little bit of drama allows Deniz to thrive. Maintaining a balance of both should well keep him on the path to being the flawed hero that MotoGP™ needs.
