Collin Veijer third in thrilling Thailand sprint

The Thailand Moto3 race, which was shortened to 12 laps, was hard to beat in terms of excitement for Collin Veijer. The Dutchman fought his way from within the top 5 to third place.

The Moto3 race at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand was shortened to a 12-lap sprint after the tarmac of the 4.55km track did not dry in time after the morning rain due to the high humidity. The race was eventually started as a wet race, with the entire field opting for slick tyres, which required extreme caution in some sections.

Collin Veijer once again mastered this challenge well, as the Dutchman’s good start allowed him to take the lead on the second lap, but his rivals were not to be beaten so easily and within the next few laps, Veijer had dropped back to fifth place.

The 19-year-old Dutchman also started his final lap from P5 and positioned himself perfectly to launch a decisive attack out of the final corner with plenty of momentum. Taiyo Furusato did not expect this counter-attack, which saw Veijer stalk past on the inside to take third place and unfortunately led to a contact between the two, causing the rider with the number 72 to crash. With 16 more championship points, Veijer reduced the gap to Daniel Holgado to eleven points in the world championship.

Collin Veijer, P3 – (+0.522), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P3 – 225 Points: “Towards the end of the race, I had big problems because I struggled with traction at the exit of the first-gear corners. So, in the last few laps, I stayed behind and waited to see what would happen. Some of the riders in front of me went into the last corner a bit too hot, while I followed my line. But suddenly I felt a contact and it was Taiyo, I don’t know where he came from. I’m sorry for him that he crashed, but I don’t think it was my fault, more a racing incident. In none of my races in the World Championship have I done strange things, because that’s not my intention. In my opinion, I am always a fair rider. Before that, I felt really good in the race and quite comfortable at the front until the gearbox problems I mentioned came up. I was still able to keep up the pace and finish on the podium. I’m very happy to be up here again.”