Deniz Öncü fought through to 18th after a tough start at Brno on Sunday while team-mate Aron Canet crashed out of 22nd. 

The fabulous, scenic Brno Circuit hosted just the second Czech Grand Prix of the past six years this weekend with the Moto2 race running over 18 laps.

Conditions were stiflingly hot throughout the weekend and Sunday was no exception. Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Deniz Öncü and Aron Canet had to deal with ambient temperatures of 31 degrees.

A decent attendance came to the Brno Circuit on Sunday with 63,023 spectators present to watch the ninth round of the 2026 season.

Aron Canet, DNF 

Aron was determined to make a strong start from 23rd on the grid. After a solid getaway, he was 24th at the close of the first lap.

The Spaniard was attempting to move forward when a lap eight crash at Turn 9 ended his hopes of a recovery. Thankfully, Aron was uninjured in the fall.

This result leaves Canet 18th in the championship standings with 13.5 points.

“I’m sure we’ll start to see some positives soon” 

Aron’s comments:

It’s a sad end to a difficult weekend. I was trying to adjust my riding style in the race due to the conditions out there. It was so hot and the grip was a little lower than we expected. Even though that solved some problems, it created others. It’s frustrating to crash and it hasn’t been a great weekend. We’re in a tough moment, but the only way we can get out of it is to stick together and keep working hard. Assen is a good track for me and I’m sure we’ll start to see some positives soon.” 

Deniz Öncü, 18th 

Starting 21st due to a grid penalty for another rider, Deniz had a steady opening and was shuffled back two places on lap three.

But the Turkish rider soon started making progress, and was able to gain five places over the remaining 15 laps to rise five places to 18th.

Deniz now sits 17th in the championship standings with 15.5 points.

“It’s a moment to not give up” 

Deniz’s comments:

“I finished the Grand Prix here in Czechia. It’s been a really difficult weekend for me. The race could have been better. I think my problem is to do better in qualifying. If I had started further in front, I’m sure I’d have been able to finish much further ahead. It’s a moment to not give up. We have to keep working. It’s a difficult moment for me but we’ll not lose our focus and we’ll go to Holland thinking a more positive result is going to come.”