Best qualifying session of the season for Collin Veijer in Qatar

Collin Veijer took his best qualifying results of the season at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider carried over his positive feelings from Friday and will start in the Top 20 for the first time in 2025.

With both sun and heat in Lusail, Moto2 FP2 failed to match the times set on Friday afternoon in Practice, although it was quicker than FP1. Veijer completed 11 laps in Lusail. However, the rookie closed the second free practice session in 15th place with a best time of 1’58.393.

In Q1, Veijer reduced his best time from Friday by 3 tenths. His 1’57.540, however, was only enough for sixth place -2 tenths shy of making the cut for Q2. After riding seven laps, he closed out the Top 20 on the grid for the first time as a Moto2 rider.

Collin Veijer: “Today we made a big step in the morning, where I felt really good on track. We made good progress with our riding style and this helped us a lot during the first session. Overall, we’re getting more and more feeling. We had a little bit of bad luck, missing out on Q2 on the last lap, but we still have a lot of opportunities to get there, so it’s not a problem right now. Tomorrow we’ll try to be in the points and to enjoy the race to the fullest.”

The best Grand Prix of the season so far for Veijer come to a end tomorrow. The Dutchman will fight for points in Lusail, in an 18-lap race that starts at 6:15 PM (local time) on Sunday.

Collin Veijer (P10) makes great comeback and score first points in Moto2

Collin Veijer scored his first points as a Moto2 rider at the Grand Prix of The Americas, making an excellent comeback in mixed track conditions. Veijer managed to complete his third race in the Moto2 class in 10th place.

The rain appeared just before the Moto2 race, which was declared wet. The vast majority of riders, including Veijer, opted for his wet setup, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider benefited from the choice, as in just one lap he made up several positions to move up through the field.

Starting from 25th, Veijer had by far his best race of the season to date. Competitive on Friday in unfavourable conditions, he carried that feeling over into a great raceday fightback. He overtook eight riders on the first lap alone, then continued to improve his times lap after lap until he entered the points. In the final third of the race, when teammate Öncü crashed right in front of him, he advanced another position for tenth place and scored his first six points in Moto2.

Collin Veijer: “Today was a strange day. All morning it was dry, then suddenly it started to rain heavily. We decided to race with the wet tyre, which was a gamble that paid off. I felt very strong during all the race, and every lap was going better and better. We understood what we spoke about yesterday afternoon with the team. Finally, we finished tenth and we took our first points in the Moto2 World Championship. I’m very happy and I want to thank the team and everyone around us who believed in me.”

Race Results 
1. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) 37:24.220
2. Tony Arbolino (Boscoscuro) +4.148
3. Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro) +12.685

10. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) +35.429

Moto2 World Championship Standing
1. Jake Dixon (Boscoscuro) – 59 points
2. Aron Canet (Kalex) – 46 points
3. Manuel González (Kalex) – 45 points

19. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – 6 points

Collin Veijer starts the Moto2 race at COTA from P25

It was not the best Saturday for Collin Veijer at the Grand Prix of the Americas. Although the Dutchman made good progress throughout the day and confirmed his improved performance in his final laps of Q1, despite this he had to settle for P25 on the grid.

The track finally dried out for FP2 in Austin, leaving practically perfect conditions.. Veijer, meanwhile, struggled a bit more than he had in the rain. With 14 laps completed, making him once again the rider with the most laps in Austin, the Dutchman finished 24th with a quickest time of 2:10.657.

Veijer had to save a crash in the second sector with skills, but also upped his pace after a trip to the pits. He completed seven laps -the same as his teammate-, rising up the order with a 2:09.254 that was his fastest time of the weekend. He had lowered his morning time by almost a second and a half, placing him 25th on the grid.

Collin Veijer: “Today wasn’t our best day. It was a productive one, but not all that we needed. The feeling was not so bad, but we encountered something in Qualifying, and it was a little bit late to recover. We suffered during the first laps of Q1, but the most important thing is that we found where we can be faster. Tomorrow is race day, so we’ll try to enjoy the race and to fight for our first points in Moto2. Austin is an amazing track and it’s always special to race there.”

The 16-lap Moto2 race will start at 12:15pm local time on Sunday.

Collin Veijer finishes 24th at Termas de Rio Hondo

The Argentinian Grand Prix had a positive end for Collin Veijer, who rounded out a difficult weekend by taking the chequered flag on race day. Veijer started well, but faded in the second half of the race to finish in 24th place.

Veijer got off to a good start, fighting for the Top 20 positions in the wake of Deniz Öncü. His pace was good during the first third of the race, but he couldn’t maintain it for the final stretch. From the midpoint of the race onwards, the Dutchman made two mistakes that dropped him to last place, where he remained until the chequered flag. With this, Veijer has managed to finish both Moto2 races he has contested so far, an important step in continuing to gain experience and mileage on his Kalex Moto2 bike.

Collin Veijer: “It was a difficult day today. We’ve been struggling all weekend. Yesterday it was a little bit better, but today we returned to the feeling from Friday. The start was not great but it was ok, and during the first laps I tried to maintain the pace, but I started struggling all through the second part of the race with my feeling with the front end. We need to find out what’s going on to see if we can improve this for Austin. It’s a shame because yesterday we took a step forward, so we need to solve this problem to be more competitive in two weeks’ time and have a good Round 3.”

After the first two Grands Prix, where Collin Veijer crossed the chequered flag, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team prepares to visit the United States. The third round of the season will be the Grand Prix of the Americas, which will take place in Austin in two weeks.

Collin Veijer starts the Moto2 race in Argentina from P25

Collin Veijer made improvements in Argentina on Saturday, The Dutchman was just four-tenths off the Q2 cutoff but starts the Moto2 race from P25 on the grid.

After a somewhat difficult Friday, Saturday started with very positive feelings for Collin Veijer. In dry conditions.Veijer had struggled to find a good feeling at Termas de Río Hondo on Friday, but took almost a second and a half off his best lap from Practice, clocking a 1:42.566. With 15 laps under his belt, the Dutchman halved the gap to the top spot, leaving him just one second behind in the session. He was 22nd.

Whilst raindrops appeared earlier in the afternoon, rain stayed away for Moto2 Qualifying., Veijer racking up eight laps, set a 1:42.204, improving his morning time by another 3 tenths to take 25th on the grid.

Collin Veijer: “We did a big improvement today in comparison with yesterday. On the morning, we did a good job during FP2 and we find something new for the rest of the weekend. On the afternoon, we improved a little bit more during the Q1, so we rode 1.6 seconds off than on Friday, which are very good news. Let’s try tomorrow to make a good race and to enjoy all we can. Feeling is getting much better than yesterday, and that’s all matters for now.”

Another day of learning for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who will have the opportunity to close the weekend in Termas de Rio Hondo tomorrow in the best possible way. The 21-lap Moto2 Argentinian GP will start at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.

Collin Veijer finishes his first Moto2 race inside the Top 20

The opening Grand Prix of the season was completed by Collin Veijer and his Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 Team. Veijer finished his first race in the intermediate class in 20th place with good lap times under very difficult and demanding track conditions.

Amidst the hot temperatures that had been present throughout the weekend, the Moto2 contest had a frantic start. Veijer was cautious at the start and stuck in the group with his teammate Deniz Öncü. He managed to progress up the field to slot into 20th position, overcoming some more experienced riders and fighting with the other newcomers to the class. By the end, he was setting times like those of Öncü. Finally, he crossed the line in 20th, less than four seconds off the Top 15 and the points.

Collin Veijer: “We have improved a bit more again, so I’m happy. We had a consistent race, and we nailed the times on most of the laps, which was one of the objectives for today. We preferred to be patient and not push from the start, in order to preserve the tyres, and it worked well for us. Maybe we were too conservative, as we needed a few laps to recover some more positions, but in general it was a good race. Being in the Top 20 is good news, as it hasn’t been an easy weekend, so we close the first Grand Prix with positive feelings and now we will think about Argentina.”

Veijer and Red Bull KTM Ajo will try to continue their progress in a fortnight at the Argentinian Grand Prix at Termas de Río Hondo, from March 14-16th.

Collin Veijer complete solid Saturday in Thailand

Collin Veijer takes at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram 24th on the grid, seven tenths of a second off Pole Position, and this in his first Qualification in the intermediate class.

The first qualifying sessions of the season took place on Saturday for Collin Veijer in Moto2. The Dutch rider improved on his times from Friday. He started FP2 in a good way, combining a long run with a Time Attack on the last laps. The Dutchman clocked a 1:35.669 on his final flying lap, shaving 6 tenths off his quickest Friday time.

In Q1, Veijer continued to make progress and once again lowered his best time of the weekend, stopping the clock at 1:35.405. This put him just seven tenths off the Pole Position time and was the shortest gap so far for him to the fastest lap. He put in 25 laps over the course of Saturday, on route to 24th on the grid for his first race in Moto2.

Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1’35.405, +0.771, P24: “Today we improved a bit more. This morning it wasn’t too hot, so we took the opportunity to try some new setups on used tyres -which all worked very well. In the afternoon we improved again compared to the morning, but we focused on getting as much riding as possible once again. Overall, I’m happy with the day and the progress we’re making, so we’re now concentrating on tomorrow’s race. The goal will be to learn, enjoy it and finish, to gather as much data as possible.”

The 22-lap Moto2 Thai Grand Prix race will start at 1:15pm local time.

Collin Veijer completes positive final Moto2 preseason test

Collin Veijer was one of the riders with the most laps completed at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto on Thursday, in the final day of Moto2 preseason. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was 21st at the end of three days of hard work that concluded with his best times of the week.

Collin Veijer was one of the riders with the most laps completed at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto on Thursday, in the final day of Moto2 preseason. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was 21st at the end of three days of hard work that concluded with his best times of the week.Collin Veijer continued to reduce the gap to the frontrunners, dropping more than 5 tenths off his previous best time to clock a 1:40.741. The Dutchman did so in FP9, in which he was sixth. Overall, Veijer was 21st on the combined timesheets for Thursday, with a total of 80 laps to his name. He was one of the busiest riders of the entire test.

Collin Veijer: ““Today we made again a good step forward. During the morning we improved a little bit from yesterday, and then we did it again in every session. We only worked with a full tank, so maybe with a little bit less fuel we can improve a little more. Also, with used tyres I enjoyed myself a lot and the pace was good. Moto2 is a completely different class, so I need time to adapt, but at the moment I’m really happy with the way we’re working -and also with my crew chief. The gap to the top riders is a little bit smaller, so let’s see if this good work can continue in Thailand. We didn’t try a Time Attack, so maybe we could have been a little higher on the timesheets, but it wasn’t about that.”

Veijer and his Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 Team will head to Thailand next week, where they will contest the first Grand Prix of the season from February 28th to March 2nd at the Chang International Circuit.

Collin Veijer kick off 2025 season with productive first Moto2 test in Jerez

The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto hosted two days of private testing this week, to begin preparations for the 2025 season. Collin Veijer worked with his crew to continue progressing ahead of his first year in Moto2 and completed his first laps with the Moto2 bike and his new team.

Collin Veijer moves in 2025 up to the intermediate class of the MotoGP World Championship with Red Bull KTM Ajo. The Dutch rider participated in the two days of testing with the aim of getting to know the team and starting to gain a feel for the bike. Veijer was one of the riders who completed the most laps, with a total of 183 laps. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider showed great progress and ends the year eager to get 2025 underway.

 Collin Veijer: “I think we had a productive two days. We improved a lot on many things. Yesterday morning was a bit difficult, because it is a new bike, so we need to get used to it, but during the day we made a lot of progress, so I’m very happy with the team and with the people I’m working with. We did a great job and we started to create a good base for next year.”

Collin Veijer tenth in farewell race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Collin Veijer’s hopes of the runner-up title remained unfulfilled at the grand season finale in Barcelona. The Dutchman finished tenth in the race despite starting from second on the grid.

Even if it was not the successful finale that Collin Veijer had hoped for after an outstanding season for his last Moto3 race, the Dutchman, who has written a success story with the German LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Team over two years, can look back on a total of two race wins, eleven podiums and three pole positions. Unfortunately, the 19-year-old’s goal of snatching the runner-up title at the finale did not work out. Although Veijer was consistently in the leading group, his pace did not allow him to actively intervene in the race after he did not get off to the best possible start.

Veijer now closes an exciting first chapter of his world championship career in third place of the world championship.

Collin Veijer, P10 – (+2.713), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P3 – 242 Points: “My start was quite good, and I felt quite confident, although I had to be a bit careful on the left-hand side on the first few laps. But very early on, I had the feeling that we were losing a bit of speed on the straights because of the limiter. We were a bit too short geared. It wasn’t going to turn out the way we had planned, as our choice didn’t work out perfectly. Anyway, I enjoyed my last race in Moto3 because I had some nice battles. So, I’m happy with the race, even if I don’t completely agree, because with a slightly better gearbox it could have gone much better. But I’m happy with how it went because we finished it and now it’s on to next year. I’m also happy to finish the championship in third place overall because we did better than last year and that was our goal. Now my father has to stop smoking, which he bet on. Finally, a big thank you to LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP for two unforgettable years with them. I have learned a lot for my future – thanks to everyone for everything!”

Collin Veijer starts the 2024 season finale from row 1

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer once again grabbed second place on the grid for the big Moto3 season finale at the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona.

The Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona is a special event. Not only does it host the grand finale of the 2024 season it is also being held in solidarity with the victims of the Valencia flood disaster. In order to make this special weekend something big on a personal level, Collin Veijer has put himself in the perfect position for his last dance in the Moto3 World Championship for a brilliant finale, in which the Dutchman will still be in contention for the runner-up world title.

But before the 19-year-old set off on his final 18 Moto3 laps from second on the grid, he had to work hard on the 4.66-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to find the ideal pace in the short time available. As so often this season, he managed to do this in perfect style, which gives him hope for the start of the race at 11:00 (CET).

Collin Veijer, P2 – 1’46.252 (+0.347): “I am very confident because we have been working on race pace all weekend. We have done a very good job. But qualifying is all about setting the fastest lap time. I tried to do it under my own steam, which was a bit difficult. In the first three laps, I tried to get the maximum out of it, but it was clear that I would need a reference or a slipstream. On the last lap, I had a reference in front of me, although the rider was too far away for a slipstream. But it was a good reference point and I’m glad to have had it. I’m happy to be back in the front row. So, I’m very confident and looking forward to tomorrow’s last race of the season. Let’s see if we can work out our plan for the race, but I think we can be very confident about what we can do. I expect a big group for the first ten laps, but then it will be interesting to see how it goes and what happens then, whether we see a breakaway in the final stages and whether we can keep up with it.”

Collin Veijer takes P5 in Malaysian heat battle

Collin Veijer finished fifth in Sepang on Sunday in the penultimate Moto3 race of the season. As a result, the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider did good business in the battle for second place in the championship.

The Sepang International Circuit demanded everything from man and machine in high temperatures and even higher humidity. This was also the case for Collin Veijer, who pushed his Husqvarna to the limit during the 15 laps of the race in order to keep in touch with the potential podium places. Up until a few laps before the end, it looked as if the 19-year-old, who started the race from eighth on the grid, still had something up his sleeve to make up ground, but a few duels took their toll.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman managed to secure fifth place in the battle for the runner-up title. In the riders’ championship, Veijer is level with Daniel Holgado, who crashed in Sepang, which postpones the decision on the runner-up title until the grand final.

Collin Veijer, P5 – (+1.091), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P3 – 236 Points: “The feeling was really good. Before the race we were told that we would have another race, so we decided not to risk too much, but just to stay on the bike. When I saw that my rival for P2 in the overall standings crashed, I told myself to stay calm and not risk anything crazy. That’s what I did for the whole race, collecting everything but always trying to stay in the group. At some point, I followed Ortola and wanted to overtake him at a certain point, because it wasn’t possible on the straights. But I had a lot of trouble at the corner entries at the hard braking points because we were using the harder front tyre. Overall, we did a good job in terms of the championship by finishing the race in P5. This means that we are equal on points with the second-placed rider. But P4 in the overall standings has moved a bit closer, separated by just two points. So, we have to focus on the last race and do our job well there, because we really want to take the runner-up title.”