Oettl ‘highly motivated’ for Assen, Oncu hoping for better results than Misano

Former Grand Prix riders Philipp Oettl and Can Oncu return to WorldSSP action this weekend for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing after a five-week summer break. 

Oettl - the more experienced of the two currently sits fourth in the championship after three rounds, while crashes and inconsistencies have left Oncu 13th - just 25 points scored from six races. 

Oettl is yet to win a race this season, however, the German’s impressive start to 2021 has seen him take three podiums, while finishing no worse than sixth in the other two races he’s finished. 

Speaking ahead of his first experience with WorldSSP machinery at Assen, Oettl said: "After five weeks without a race I can’t wait to get back out there and to do it at an historic track like Assen. 

"It’s like the start of a second part of the championship, in that from now on the breaks are shorter and the races closer together. 

"I’ve never raced at Assen with a 600, only with the Moto3, but I like the Dutch track and think it can adapt well to our bike. 

"I’m ready and highly motivated. I want to give it my all and continue to fight for the top positions."

Similarly, Oncu finds himself in the same situation as team-mate Oettl, even though the Turkish rider is a rookie in the championship. 

Oncu believes the results so far haven’t reflected his true pace, while saying he and the team ‘deserve’ a strong weekend.

"Assen will be a brand-new experience for me with a Supersport bike, as we didn’t race here last year due to Covid-19," said Oncu. "We didn’t achieve the desired results at Misano at the last round, but we continued along the path we’ve been travelling since the start of the season. 

"That’s allowing us to continuously improve. I hope to find a good setting early on at Assen, so that we can achieve the kind of race results that the team and I deserve."