Collin Veijer to start 22nd in Assen after a positive Saturday

Saturday was a day of progress and promise for Collin Veijer. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider made improvements, lowering his best time from Friday by seven tenths and gaining several positions. The Dutchman will start 22nd on the grid at his home Grand Prix.

FP2 conditions were considerably better than on Friday, allowing the Moto2 grid to enjoy a productive morning session in preparation for Sunday’s race. Veijer had a strong run, gradually improving his lap times. Initially outside the Top 20, he focused on completing a long run before switching to fresh tyres for a time attack simulation. He shaved five tenths off his best time from Practice and set his fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:36.287 – just seven tenths off the top spot in the session. He was 15th after completing a total of 16 laps.

Track conditions for Q1 were the best of the weekend so far, and Veijer attempted to advance to Q2. His best time of the weekend came in Q1, when he clocked a 1:36.133 – just 1.3 seconds off the fastest Q2 time. However, it wasn’t enough to make the cut. The Moto2 rookie finished eighth in Q1 after eight laps, securing 22nd place on the grid.

Collin Veijer: “Today we made a big improvement from yesterday. The feeling with the bike is much better, so we just need to see if we can find the final steps to get closer to the front. We will be ready for tomorrow. Let’s see what the race brings. We just want to take valuable information from the weekend and also enjoy the race to the maximum in front of my home crowd. I hope to have a nice day tomorrow.”

Veijer will take part in the 22-lap Moto2 race on Sunday, starting at 12:15pm local time.