Aron Canet was 18^th while Deniz Oncu was 28^th at the close of Practice at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team are in Austin this weekend for the third round of the 2026 Moto2 World Championship.

The long, technical Circuit of the Americas layout is always a challenge. And the bumps around the 5.51km track presented a particular challenge to both Aron Canet and Deniz Oncu on Friday.

Conditions were perfect for Friday’s two sessions. Temperatures today are expected to be the hottest of the weekend, with the track temperature hitting a sizzling 47 degrees during Practice.

Aron Canet, 18^th – 2’07.451

Keen to bounce back from a disappointing weekend in Brazil, Aron started Friday well as he set the 12^th fastest time in FP1, 0.9s off pace setter Celestino Vietti.

The afternoon brought a chance for Aron to assess his potential over longer runs. He strung together two laps in the 2’07s in Practice during his first outing.

The 26-year pushed in the final time attack but couldn’t unlock his full potential and he just missed out on a place in the top 14 by three tenths of a second.

“There are a few positives to take”

Aron’s comments:

“It was a tricky day here in Austin. We’re still struggling out there. I’m still not comfortable or riding the bike naturally. And this is a difficult place to ride when you feel like this. There are a few positives to take. I felt quite good in FP1 but when track temperatures rose this afternoon, it was tough. We need to understand what’s happening so we can make some changes and come back to the top as soon as possible.”

Deniz Oncu, 28^th – 2’08.680

Deniz started the day well, showing solid potential in FP1 as he placed 15^th, 1.2s off the session’s fastest time.

In the high afternoon temperatures, the Turkish rider struggled to find consistency during Practice as he did 13 laps over two runs.

The 22-year old wasn’t helped by catching a number of yellow flags on his second run and is confident that after working with his crew this evening, improvements will come ahead of qualifying.

“We’ll keep working and keep pushing”

Deniz’s comments:

“We finished the first day here in America. Honestly, it wasn’t the best way to start the weekend. It was a tough day for me. I didn’t catch the best feelings to be fast. I just didn’t have a lot of confidence to really ride the bike at its limits. We’ll work with the boys and the team this evening to understand what we can do to improve my feeling. We’ll keep working and keep pushing. Tomorrow is a new day.”