Öncü and Erbay Prepare for the Season's Final Races

Turkish motorcyclists Deniz Öncü and Kadir Erbay will race in different international series this weekend. Öncü returns to racing at the Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, the 19th round of the Moto2 World Championship, at the Sepang International Circuit. Erbay will compete in the Supersport category for I+DENT Racing at the final race of the Spanish Superbike Championship in Jerez. Both events begin on Friday and end on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Öncü, from Alanya, is 15th in the riders' standings with 47.5 points after 18 races. He finished 7th at the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, but dropped to 22nd in Mandalika, Indonesia. The Australian Grand Prix was cancelled due to bad weather.

After leaving Red Bull KTM Ajo, Öncü is competing a full season for the first time this year with the Belgian team Marc VDS. Riding a Boscoscuro motorcycle, his teammate is Spaniard Arón Canet. In 2025, Öncü became the first Turkish rider to win a Moto2 race. With victories at Aragon and Germany, he finished the season 12th with 100 points.

Sepang's long straights, hard braking zones and technical corners place great importance on engine setup and physical preparation. High temperatures and humidity will also challenge the riders throughout the weekend. First practice sessions take place on Friday, while the second practice and qualifying sessions are held on Saturday. The 17-lap race on Sunday starts at 13.15 local time, which is 08.15 in Turkey.

The remaining races of the season are in Qatar, Portugal and Valencia. In Malaysia, Öncü aims to turn his pace into race results and move up the standings.