Ajo Motorsport
Ajo Motorsport is a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racing team, currently competing in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes under the name Red Bull KTM Ajo and in the MotoE class under the name Avant Ajo MotoE. The team's founder and principal is former racer Aki Ajo. His son, former racer Niklas Ajo, is also involved in the team as crew chief and race engineer in the Moto3 programme.
The team debuted in 2001 and took its first win in 2003. Ajo Motorsport has won six world championship titles; the 125cc championship with Mike Di Meglio in 2008 and Marc Márquez in 2010, the Moto3 championship in 2012 with Sandro Cortese and 2016 with Brad Binder, and the Moto2 championship in 2015 and 2016, both with Johann Zarco.
History
The team's debut at a world championship race was at Sachsenring in 2001, where the team entered Mika Kallio as a wildcard rider. The team and Kallio also took part in the competition in Valencia later in the year. The team's bikes were labelled with the Honda brand name, even though the engines were supplied by Ajo. 2002 was the first season in which Ajo was a regular competitor in the World Championship, with Kallio as their main rider. Their best result that season was fifth place in Jerez, and Kallio was named "Rookie of the Year", beating riders such as Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo.In 2003, the team expanded to two bikes, with Kallio being joined by the Japanese competitor Masao Azuma. Kallio then left the team in August after receiving an offer from KTM. He was replaced by Andrea Ballerini. In Australia, the team achieved a 1–2 victory, with Ballerini in first place and Azuma in second. Ajo attributed a large portion of their success to the combination of wet conditions and Bridgestone tyres, which are optimal for damp weather. For the 2004 season, the team had two new riders in Lukáš Pešek and Danish Robbin Harms. The season was a disappointing one for Ajo, as Pešek crashed repeatedly and as Harms suffered several injuries. Pešek moved to the Derbi team for the next season.
Japanese Tomoyoshi Koyama and French Alexis Masbou were Ajo's riders in the 2005 season. Koyama won the "Rookie of the Year" title, the team's second in four years. His best results were second place in Australia and third in Turkey; in overall standings he held eighth place. The team kept the same riders for the following year but obtained new bikes from Malaguti. Both riders suffered many injuries which affected their season. Masbou was only able to ride eight races and did not score any points. Koyama's best result was sixth in Estoril, and he ended in 15th place in the championship standings. In 2007, the team raced with Derbi bikes, driven by Michael Ranseder and Robert Mureșan. Ranseder finished in the points 13 times, while Mureșan failed to score.
Ajo Motorsport continued with Derbi for the 2008 season, with Mike Di Meglio and Dominique Aegerter as their riders. Di Meglio won four races and clinched the world championship in Australia, two races before the end of the season. Aegerter finished eighth twice. Sandro Cortese accompanied Dominique Aegerter in 2009. The team scored several podiums this season but did not manage to win any races. In the 2010 season, Ajo Motorsport fielded Marc Márquez, Sandro Cortese and Adrián Martín. The season was a big success for the team. Márquez scored twelve poles and ten victories, and brought the team its second title in three years.
Grand Prix motorcycle results
| Season | Class | Team | Machine | No | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Points | Drivers |
| 2001 | 125cc | Team Red Devil Honda | Honda | 36 |  Mika Kallio | JPN | RSA | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GBR | GER Ret | CZE | POR | VAL Ret | PAC | AUS | MAL | RIO | – | 0 | |||
| 2002 | 125cc | Red Devil Honda | Honda | 36 | Mika Kallio | JPN Ret | RSA 12 | SPA 5 | FRA 8 | ITA Ret | CAT 9 | NED Ret | GBR Ret | GER 9 | CZE 10 | POR 8 | RIO 8 | PAC 6 | MAL 7 | AUS Ret | VAL 16 | 11th | 78 | |||
| 2003 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda | 8 |  Masao Azuma | JPN 17 | RSA 9 | SPA 11 | FRA 10 | ITA 14 | CAT 22 | NED Ret | GBR 13 | GER Ret | CZE 13 | POR 13 | RIO Ret | PAC 13 | MAL 5 | AUS 2 | VAL 15 | 16th | 64 | |||
| 2003 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda | 36 | Mika Kallio | JPN 11 | RSA 7 | SPA 16 | FRA Ret | ITA 13 | CAT 7 | NED 11 | GBR 7 | GER 10 | CZE | POR | RIO | PAC | MAL | AUS | VAL | 11th | 88 | |||
| 2003 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda | 39 | Hiroyuki Kikuchi | JPN | RSA | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GBR | GER | CZE DNS | POR | RIO | PAC | MAL | AUS | VAL | – | 0 | |||
| 2003 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda | 50 |  Andrea Ballerini | JPN | RSA | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GBR | GER | CZE Ret | POR Ret | RIO Ret | PAC 20 | MAL 19 | AUS 1 | VAL Ret | 22nd | 25 | |||
| 2004 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda RS125R | 31 | Max Sabbatani | RSA | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | RIO | GER | GBR | CZE | POR | JPN | QAT Ret | MAL Ret | AUS 25 | VAL Ret | – | 0 | |||
| 2004 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda RS125R | 38 | Mikko Kyyhkynen | RSA | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT 25 | NED 25 | RIO Ret | GER | GBR | CZE | POR | JPN | QAT | MAL | AUS | VAL | – | 0 | |||
| 2004 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda RS125R | 52 |  Lukáš Pešek | RSA 20 | SPA Ret | FRA 14 | ITA 15 | CAT Ret | NED Ret | RIO 15 | GER 17 | GBR 12 | CZE Ret | POR 8 | JPN Ret | QAT 17 | MAL Ret | AUS 12 | VAL Ret | 21st | 20 | |||
| 2004 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda RS125R | 69 |  Robbin Harms | RSA 18 | SPA Ret | FRA Ret | ITA Ret | CAT | NED | RIO | GER 19 | GBR 17 | CZE 11 | POR Ret | JPN | QAT | MAL | AUS | VAL | 30th | 5 | |||
| 2005 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda RS125R | 7 |  Alexis Masbou | SPA Ret | POR 13 | CHN 21 | FRA Ret | ITA 10 | CAT Ret | NED 5 | GBR Ret | GER DSQ | CZE Ret | JPN 20 | MAL 14 | QAT 20 | AUS 10 | TUR Ret | VAL Ret | 18th | 28 | |||
| 2005 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda RS125R | 71 | Tomoyoshi Koyama | SPA Ret | POR 6 | CHN 5 | FRA Ret | ITA 5 | CAT 5 | NED 7 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | CZE Ret | JPN 4 | MAL 10 | QAT 14 | AUS 2 | TUR 3 | VAL 6 | 8th | 119 | |||
| 2006 | 125cc | Malaguti Ajo Corse | Malaguti 125 | 7 | Alexis Masbou | SPA DNS | QAT DNS | TUR 20 | CHN Ret | FRA 29 | ITA Ret | CAT Ret | NED Ret | GBR | GER 25 | CZE 23 | MAL DNS | AUS | JPN | POR | VAL | – | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 125cc | Malaguti Ajo Corse | Malaguti 125 | 40 | Nico Vivarelli | SPA | QAT | TUR | CHN | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GBR | GER | CZE | MAL | AUS | JPN | POR | VAL 35 | – | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 125cc | Malaguti Ajo Corse | Malaguti 125 | 71 | Tomoyoshi Koyama | SPA 12 | QAT 15 | TUR 9 | CHN 9 | FRA 13 | ITA 15 | CAT DNS | NED | GBR | GER 15 | CZE 16 | MAL Ret | AUS 12 | JPN 7 | POR 6 | VAL 14 | 15th | 49 | |||
| 2006 | 125cc | Malaguti Ajo Corse | Malaguti 125 | 73 | Kazuya Otani | SPA | QAT | TUR | CHN | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GBR | GER | CZE | MAL | AUS | JPN Ret | POR 28 | VAL | – | 0 | |||
| 2006 | 125cc | Malaguti Ajo Corse | Malaguti 125 | 90 | Hiroaki Kuzuhara | SPA | QAT | TUR | CHN | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED 28 | GBR 26 | GER | CZE | MAL | AUS | JPN | POR | VAL | 29th | 1 | |||
| 2006 | 125cc | Malaguti Ajo Corse | Malaguti 125 | 95 |  Georg Fröhlich | SPA | QAT | TUR | CHN | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GBR 32 | GER | CZE | MAL | AUS | JPN | POR | VAL | – | 0 | |||
| 2007 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Derbi | 60 |  Michael Ranseder | QAT 13 | SPA 9 | TUR 12 | CHN 7 | FRA 14 | ITA 11 | CAT 10 | GBR 20 | NED 9 | GER 10 | CZE 8 | RSM 10 | POR Ret | JPN 9 | AUS 22 | MAL Ret | VAL 13 | 12th | 73 | ||
| 2007 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Derbi | 95 |  Robert Mureșan | QAT Ret | SPA 18 | TUR 22 | CHN 26 | FRA 23 | ITA 19 | CAT 24 | GBR 16 | NED Ret | GER 17 | CZE Ret | RSM 29 | POR 23 | JPN Ret | AUS DNQ | MAL 23 | VAL 22 | – | 0 | ||
| 2008 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Derbi | 63 | Mike Di Meglio | QAT 4 | SPA 9 | POR 7 | CHN 2 | FRA 1 | ITA 4 | CAT 1 | GBR 2 | NED 7 | GER 1 | CZE 2 | RSM Ret | IND 10 | JPN 2 | AUS 1 | MAL 5 | VAL 3 | 1st | 264 | ||
| 2008 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Derbi | 77 |  Dominique Aegerter | QAT 17 | SPA 8 | POR 12 | CHN 17 | FRA 23 | ITA 24 | CAT 12 | GBR 19 | NED 16 | GER 10 | CZE 14 | RSM 8 | IND 11 | JPN 19 | AUS Ret | MAL 8 | VAL Ret | 16th | 45 | ||
| 2008 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsports Junior Project | Derbi | 84 |  Robert Gull | QAT | SPA | POR | CHN | FRA | ITA | CAT | GBR | NED 27 | GER | CZE | RSM | IND | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | – | 0 | ||
| 2009 | 125cc | Ajo Interwetten | Derbi | 11 | Sandro Cortese | QAT 3 | JPN 6 | SPA 6 | FRA 12 | ITA 10 | CAT 9 | NED Ret | GER 6 | GBR Ret | CZE 6 | IND 18 | RSM 5 | POR 2 | AUS 3 | MAL 6 | VAL 8 | 6th | 130 | |||
| 2009 | 125cc | Ajo Interwetten | Derbi | 77 | Dominique Aegerter | QAT 11 | JPN 9 | SPA 9 | FRA 6 | ITA 19 | CAT 20 | NED 13 | GER 9 | GBR 8 | CZE 18 | IND 10 | RSM 15 | POR 8 | AUS 12 | MAL 14 | VAL 11 | 13th | 70.5 | |||
| 2009 | 125cc | Ajo Motorsport | Honda | 81 | Eeki Kuparinen | QAT | JPN | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER Ret | GBR | CZE | IND | RSM | POR | AUS | MAL | VAL | – | 0 | |||
| 2010 | 125cc | Red Bull Ajo Motorsport | Derbi | 11 | Sandro Cortese | QAT 5 | SPA 11 | FRA 6 | ITA Ret | GBR 6 | NED 5 | CAT 4 | GER 3 | CZE 16 | IND 2 | RSM 5 | ARA 5 | JPN 12 | MAL 6 | AUS Ret | POR Ret | VAL 5 | 7th | 143 | ||
| 2010 | 125cc | Red Bull Ajo Motorsport | Aprilia | 26 |  Adrián Martín | QAT 20 | SPA 13 | FRA 15 | ITA WD | GBR 16 | NED 16 | CAT 11 | GER Ret | CZE 11 | IND Ret | RSM 15 | ARA 11 | JPN 9 | MAL 13 | AUS 11 | POR Ret | VAL Ret | 15th | 35 | ||
| 2010 | 125cc | Red Bull Ajo Motorsport | Derbi | 93 | Marc Márquez | QAT 3 | SPA Ret | FRA 3 | ITA 1 | GBR 1 | NED 1 | CAT 1 | GER 1 | CZE 7 | IND 10 | RSM 1 | ARA Ret | JPN 1 | MAL 1 | AUS 1 | POR 1 | VAL 4 | 1st | 310 | ||
| 2011 | 125cc | Avant-AirAsia-Ajo | Derbi | 5 | Johann Zarco | QAT 6 | SPA 3 | POR 3 | FRA 5 | CAT 6 | GBR 2 | NED 5 | ITA 2 | GER 2 | CZE 2 | IND 5 | RSM 2 | ARA 2 | JPN 1 | AUS 3 | MAL 3 | VAL Ret | 2nd | 262 | ||
| 2011 | 125cc | Avant-AirAsia-Ajo | Derbi | 7 | Efrén Vázquez | QAT 4 | SPA 9 | POR 6 | FRA 3 | CAT 5 | GBR 5 | NED 7 | ITA 4 | GER Ret | CZE Ret | IND 6 | RSM 3 | ARA 4 | JPN Ret | AUS 4 | MAL 11 | VAL 4 | 7th | 160 | ||
| 2011 | 125cc | Avant-AirAsia-Ajo | Derbi | 63 |  Zulfahmi Khairuddin | QAT 19 | SPA 10 | POR 11 | FRA 19 | CAT Ret | GBR 18 | NED 14 | ITA 18 | GER 24 | CZE 9 | IND 19 | RSM 27 | ARA Ret | JPN 15 | AUS 20 | MAL 7 | VAL 25 | 18th | 30 | ||
| 2011 | 125cc | Red Bull Ajo Motorsport | Aprilia | 52 |  Danny Kent | QAT 13 | SPA 4 | POR 15 | FRA 17 | CAT 11 | GBR 10 | NED 6 | ITA 15 | GER 9 | CZE Ret | IND 13 | RSM 6 | ARA 6 | JPN 9 | AUS 22 | MAL 10 | VAL 17 | 11th | 82 | ||
| 2011 | 125cc | Red Bull Ajo Motorsport | Aprilia | 94 | Jonas Folger | QAT 5 | SPA 2 | POR 5 | FRA 6 | CAT 3 | GBR 1 | NED 8 | ITA Ret | GER 7 | CZE DNS | IND 9 | RSM 9 | ARA 10 | JPN 6 | AUS Ret | MAL 6 | VAL 5 | 6th | 161 | ||
| 2012 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 11 | Sandro Cortese | QAT 3 | SPA 3 | POR 1 | FRA 6 | CAT 2 | GBR 3 | NED 2 | GER 1 | ITA 3 | IND 2 | CZE 3 | RSM 1 | ARA 2 | JPN 6 | MAL 1 | AUS 1 | VAL 2 | 1st | 325 | ||
| 2012 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 52 | Danny Kent | QAT 8 | SPA Ret | POR 8 | FRA Ret | CAT 20 | GBR 6 | NED 3 | GER Ret | ITA 5 | IND 12 | CZE 7 | RSM 12 | ARA 4 | JPN 1 | MAL 6 | AUS 5 | VAL 1 | 4th | 154 | ||
| 2012 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 61 |  Arthur Sissis | QAT 7 | SPA Ret | POR 13 | FRA 5 | CAT 22 | GBR 8 | NED 16 | GER 9 | ITA Ret | IND 11 | CZE 14 | RSM 10 | ARA 9 | JPN 11 | MAL 11 | AUS 3 | VAL 19 | 12th | 84 | ||
| 2012 | Moto3 | AirAsia-SIC-Ajo | KTM | 63 | Zulfahmi Khairuddin | QAT 6 | SPA 10 | POR 4 | FRA Ret | CAT 8 | GBR 9 | NED 11 | GER 6 | ITA 9 | IND 6 | CZE Ret | RSM 11 | ARA Ret | JPN 5 | MAL 2 | AUS Ret | VAL 3 | 7th | 128 | ||
| 2013 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 39 | Luis Salom | QAT 1 | AME 3 | SPA 2 | FRA 3 | ITA 1 | CAT 1 | NED 1 | GER 2 | IND 5 | CZE 1 | GBR 1 | RSM 4 | ARA 4 | MAL 1 | AUS 3 | JPN Ret | VAL 14 | 3rd | 302 | ||
| 2013 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 61 | Arthur Sissis | QAT 8 | AME 12 | SPA 12 | FRA 13 | ITA 18 | CAT 10 | NED 8 | GER 10 | IND 6 | CZE 14 | GBR 24 | RSM 15 | ARA 9 | MAL 19 | AUS 16 | JPN 16 | VAL 18 | 15th | 59 | ||
| 2013 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 63 | Zulfahmi Khairuddin | QAT 6 | AME 7 | SPA 7 | FRA Ret | ITA 11 | CAT 9 | NED 17 | GER 16 | IND 7 | CZE 15 | GBR 20 | RSM 6 | ARA Ret | MAL DNS | AUS 11 | JPN Ret | VAL 13 | 12th | 68 | ||
| 2013 | Moto3 | Touchline–SIC–AJO | KTM | 79 | Aizat Malik | QAT | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | IND | CZE | GBR | RSM | ARA | MAL Ret | AUS | JPN | VAL | – | 0 | ||
| 2013 | Moto3 | Touchline–SIC–AJO | KTM | 80 | Hafiq Azmi | QAT | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | IND | CZE | GBR | RSM | ARA | MAL Ret | AUS | JPN | VAL | – | 0 | ||
| 2014 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 8 | Jack Miller | QAT 1 | AME 1 | ARG 3 | SPA 4 | FRA 1 | ITA Ret | CAT 4 | NED Ret | GER 1 | IND 3 | CZE 5 | GBR 6 | RSM 3 | ARA 27 | JPN 5 | AUS 1 | MAL 2 | VAL 1 | 2nd | 276 | |
| 2014 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 98 | Karel Hanika | QAT 14 | AME 10 | ARG Ret | SPA 19 | FRA Ret | ITA 10 | CAT 14 | NED Ret | GER Ret | IND 13 | CZE 15 | GBR 12 | RSM Ret | ARA 23 | JPN 12 | AUS 13 | MAL 9 | VAL 10 | 18th | 44 | |
| 2014 | Moto3 | SIC–AJO | KTM | 38 | Hafiq Azmi | QAT Ret | AME 24 | ARG 16 | SPA 24 | FRA 16 | ITA Ret | CAT Ret | NED 29 | GER 18 | IND 24 | CZE 28 | GBR 20 | RSM 23 | ARA 19 | JPN 18 | AUS 18 | MAL 13 | VAL 23 | 28th | 3 | |
| 2014 | Moto3 | SIC–AJO | KTM | 88 | Hafiza Rofa | QAT | AME | ARG | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | IND | CZE | GBR | RSM | ARA | JPN | AUS | MAL 20 | VAL | NC | 0 | |
| 2014 | Moto3 | Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo | Husqvarna | 31 | Niklas Ajo | QAT 26 | AME 14 | ARG 8 | SPA 10 | FRA Ret | ITA 5 | CAT 8 | NED Ret | GER | IND Ret | CZE 12 | GBR 10 | RSM Ret | ARA 25 | JPN Ret | AUS 9 | MAL Ret | VAL Ret | 15th | 52 | |
| 2014 | Moto3 | Avant Tecno Husqvarna Ajo | Husqvarna | 91 |  Gabriel Rodrigo | QAT | AME | ARG | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER 22 | IND | CZE | GBR | RSM | ARA | JPN | AUS | MAL | VAL | NC | 0 | |
| 2014 | Moto3 | Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo | Husqvarna | 52 | Danny Kent | QAT 13 | AME 8 | ARG 9 | SPA 11 | FRA 13 | ITA 15 | CAT 17 | NED 8 | GER 5 | IND 12 | CZE 3 | GBR 9 | RSM 12 | ARA 3 | JPN 6 | AUS 20 | MAL 4 | VAL 4 | 8th | 129 | |
| 2015 | Moto2 | Ajo Motorsport | Kalex | 5 | Johann Zarco | QAT 8 | AME 2 | ARG 1 | SPA 2 | FRA 3 | ITA 2 | CAT 1 | NED 1 | GER 2 | IND 2 | CZE 1 | GBR 1 | RSM 1 | ARA 6 | JPN 1 | AUS 7 | MAL 1 | VAL 7 | 1st | 352 | |
| 2015 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 41 |  Brad Binder | QAT 10 | AME 5 | ARG 5 | SPA 3 | FRA Ret | ITA 10 | CAT 9 | NED 7 | GER 7 | IND 8 | CZE 3 | GBR Ret | RSM 5 | ARA Ret | JPN 17 | AUS 3 | MAL 2 | VAL 4 | 6th | 159 | |
| 2015 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 44 |  Miguel Oliveira | QAT 16 | AME Ret | ARG 4 | SPA 2 | FRA 8 | ITA 1 | CAT 5 | NED 1 | GER DNS | IND 15 | CZE 8 | GBR 13 | RSM 2 | ARA 1 | JPN 2 | AUS 1 | MAL 1 | VAL 1 | 2nd | 254 | |
| 2015 | Moto3 | Red Bull KTM Ajo | KTM | 98 | Karel Hanika | QAT 13 | AME 10 | ARG 7 | SPA 22 | FRA 20 | ITA 28 | CAT Ret | NED 8 | GER 13 | IND 12 | CZE 26 | GBR Ret | RSM 21 | ARA Ret | JPN 8 | AUS 14 | MAL Ret | VAL Ret | 18th | 43 | |
| 2016 | Moto2 | Ajo Motorsport | Kalex | 5 | Johann Zarco | QAT 12 | ARG 1 | AME 3 | SPA 5 | FRA 24 | ITA 1 | CAT 1 | NED 2 | GER 1 | AUT 1 | CZE 11 | GBR 22 | RSM 4 | ARA 8 | JPN 2 | AUS 12 | MAL 1 | VAL 1 | 1st | 276 | |
| 2016 | Moto2 | Ajo Motorsport | Kalex | 45 | Tetsuta Nagashima | QAT | ARG | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | AUT | CZE | GBR | RSM | ARA 23 | JPN 14 | AUS | MAL | VAL | 32nd | 2 | |
| 2016 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2016 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |