Poor weather plagued the start of the whole WorldSSP race weekend at Estoril, which forms the penultimate round of the 2024 season.

In difficult track conditions Öncü fell and suffered a deep wound on his right knee, requiring 23 stitches. He was declared unfit to ride this weekend.

Given the timing of his injury it was not possible to find a replacement rider to take on the 4.182km long Portuguese circuit on the officially supported Ninja ZX-R.

Mexican rider Guillermo Moreno (Viamo by MTM Kawasaki) rode the team’s Ninja ZX-6R at Estoril and finished Superpole qualifying in 21st place. In Race One he was 19th.

The Estoril and subsequent Jerez rounds will form the last few official races for the current Ninja ZX-6R, with the 636cc version currently involved in a new homologation process to compete in the 2025 WorldSSP championship with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing.

Can Öncü, stated: “Considering the track conditions on Friday, I made a cautious start and tried not to make any mistakes. But unfortunately, the front tyre lost grip on a wet patch heading into a corner and I crashed, hurting my right knee. The circuit medical staff did a good job of treating me but wouldn’t give me the OK to continue at this round. I hope to be better in time to compete at Jerez next week, as I really want to round out the championship with a positive result.”

                                               #NinjaSpirit