Collin Veijer impresses in Motegi with second starting spot

The Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi demanded a lot from the Moto3 riders on Saturday. Collin Veijer managed to put the second fastest lap time in Q2 despite the difficult conditions, securing a place on the front row of the grid.

The weekend at the 4.8 km long Mobility Resort Motegi was not an easy undertaking right from the start after changeable conditions with recurring rain turned the sessions into a game of roulette. Nevertheless, Collin Veijer tried to adapt quickly. Shortly before the end of free practice, the Dutchman even switched to slick tyres, which ultimately earned him ninth place, which he then confirmed in P1.

On the wet Saturday morning, the 19-year-old, who is currently in fourth place in the world championship, took it easy so as not to risk anything unnecessarily before the Q2. In the 15-minute Qualifying 2, the youngster delivered as usual and set by far his best time of the weekend so far with a 1’55.117 on the now dry tarmac. With a gap of just 0.356s to pole setter Ivan Ortola, Veijer will start the race in second place and try to prevent the title decider in favour of David Alonso, who will start directly behind him.

Collin Veijer, P2 – 1’55.117 (+0.356): “It was a bit strange, because just before qualifying it slightly started to rain again. I think that was the reason why I wanted to go out straight away. I also tried to push straight away, even if it was a bit dangerous. Because what some people do in their out-lap, I think it’s dangerous when they slow down on the line. Apart from that, I think our qualifying was pretty good overall. I pushed my laps and tried to stay out of the way of the people who were pushing. The overall feeling is good, I was able to do my laps on my own, which was good for consistency. That’s the most important thing for tomorrow. We made a big step compared to yesterday, where we struggled a bit, but now I feel much better. I can’t wait for the race, which I’m sure will be a lot of fun.”

Collin Veijer crashes leading the race in Indonesia

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer led for more than half of the race before a crash dashed his hopes of victory.

On the Indonesian island of Lombok, the ultimate heat battle awaited on the fifteenth race Sunday of the season, making the 20 laps seem endless. Right from the start, it was Collin Veijer who set the tone after the Dutchman took the lead on the first lap. The 19-year-old youngster always responded to a few attacks by his rivals by recapturing the top position, which he held onto until turn 8 on the twelfth lap. This fast left-hand bend marks the spot where the then third-placed rider in the world championship threw a potential victory into the gravel with a brutal front slide. Fortunately, Veijer left the crash scene, full of disappointment, but on his own two feet.

The aim is to put this setback behind him before the Japan Grand Prix next weekend. He will now continue his journey to Motegi in fourth place and try to make up for this bitter setback in the world championship battle.

Collin Veijer, DNF, Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P4 – 189 Points: “Overall, I’m happy with my performance in the race. Also, my start was much better than at the last Grand Prix. So, I’m very happy about that and then I just tried every lap to keep the pace at the level I’ve been working for all weekend. On one lap, however, I tried to push a bit more to maybe have a little advantage in a section where I’ve been very strong all weekend. But I made a mistake in this sector and lost the front. That was a very stupid mistake on my part. I’m really sorry for my team that I made this mistake. But I will try to learn as much as possible from it and we will take this information with us to Japan. But first I apologize to my team, and I will try to work on myself to be better next week in Japan.”

For the second stop of the six-week overseas tour, Veijer and the Intact GP squad will now head even further east to Japan, where the sixteenth Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi from the 4th – 6th of October could already decide the Moto3 title. Veijer is determined to prevent this from happening.

Collin Veijer continues title fight in Indonesia from 1st row

In the hot Moto3 qualifying session at the Pertamina Mandalika Street Circuit, LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer showed his strong side. With second place on the front row of the grid, the signs to continue his title fight are good for the Dutchman.

The start to the fifteenth race weekend of the season could hardly have gone better for Collin Veijer after the 19-year-old finished the first day of practice as the fastest with a 1’37.942 after finishing fifth in free practice. The Dutchman topped this time again in the second qualifying session on Saturday morning, where second place paved his way into Q2. In incredible asphalt temperatures of 62°C, Veijer completed his laps all by himself. In the battle for pole position, however, the current third-placed rider in the world championship suffered a brutal front slide in his final attempt to attack.

Despite the small moment of shock, his strong groundwork was enough to secure second place on the grid on row 1, just 0.257s behind pole setter Ivan Ortola, from where he will try to fight for nothing less than victory in the 20-lap heat battle on Sunday thanks to his outstanding pace.

Collin Veijer, P2 – 1’37.589 (+0.257): “It was another good day today, so I’m satisfied. I felt very good this morning and tried my best to finish as far up in the front as possible in order to have a good position for qualifying. Our first run in qualifying was good because I was able to push well from the first lap, even though there were a few riders following me. But I tried to push to the limit, and it paid off. Overall, I think we can be satisfied with our qualifying, even though I made a small mistake just before the end. Apart from that, qualifying went quite well, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Collin Veijer finishes a pleasant surprise third in Misano

After the exciting four-way battle at the front, LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer crossed the line in fourth place, but then inherited third place from Daniel Holgado after the finish.

The second Moto3 World Championship round at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli once again had a few surprises in store. Particularly for Collin Veijer, who was close to losing the 20-lap battle for the podium in fourth place, but then moved up to third place after Daniel Holgado received a post-race penalty for exceeding the track limits on the last lap and was demoted one position.

It was only towards the end of the race that a four-way battle for victory developed, in which the 19-year-old was no longer able to actively intervene due to deteriorating tyres. Grateful for another 16 points and third place in the world championship, tied on points with overall runner-up Holgado, the youngster is now focusing on the upcoming overseas races, which begin next week from September 27th – 29th with the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Collin Veijer, P3 – (+0.367), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P3 – 189 Points: “I leave Misano much happier today than two weeks ago because the feeling in the race was good and I was much better than in the first race. A different choice for the front tyre also paid off. I was able to keep the pace until the end and tried to close the gap to the top three. On the last laps, however, I had big problems in the right-hand corners. I really wanted to finish on the podium and if I had been close enough, I would have tried it, but it wasn’t enough for a normal, safe overtaking. So, I settled with P4 and then I was still on the podium because it was given to me and I’m really happy. So, keep it up and on to the next race! Thank you to the team for their work this weekend.”

Now it’s time for Veijer and the German racing team, which is in third place in the Team World Championship, to pack up for the five overseas races in Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Thailand and Malaysia before returning to European soil in mid-November for the season finale in Valencia, Spain.

Collin Veijer start the Misano II points battle from row 2

The second race weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli has so far provided challenging sessions due to changeable conditions, which Collin Veijer of the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 team have faced in a solid manner. The Husqvarna rider finished qualifying in sixth place on row two.

On Friday, the 4.23 km Misano World Circuit had a wet tarmac after several days of rain on Italy’s Adriatic coast. As a result, track conditions were not the best, especially in free practice.

To avoid taking any unnecessary risks, Collin Veijer took it a little easier in the beginning. However, the Dutchman finished fourth in the first practice session, which gave him confidence for the rest of the weekend. On qualifying Saturday, the 19-year-old improved his 1’41.253 by 0.126s, which resulted in eleventh place. From there, it was on to the fiercely contested Q2, in which the current fourth-placed rider in the world championship finished in sixth place, 0.220s behind pole setter Taiyo Furusato.

From the second row of the grid, the ambitious Veijer will be aiming for at least his next podium result in Sunday’s 20-lap race, which starts at 10:00 (CEST

Collin Veijer, P6 – 1’40.614 (+0.220): “I did my best this morning, but we couldn’t find a decent feeling. Nevertheless, we can be satisfied with today overall. In qualifying I was pushing all the time on my own, so I think we can be happy with the speed we have and also with the lap time I did on my own. Let’s see how it looks tomorrow because the race is always a different story. I’m confident because the feeling is okay – I’m ready.”

Collin Veijer fifth in spectacular Misano race

Collin Veijer delivered the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 team Sunday in Misano a strong race that could not have been more exciting. While Veijer found his pace late on, the Dutchman finished with a strong 5th place at the finish line.

The San Marino Grand Prix was undoubtedly one of the craziest races of the year, as there was hardly any time to catch your breath. Right from the start, things got very tight at times and a triple crash left everyone breathless right away. Meanwhile, Collin Veijer lost a few positions in the aforementioned tangle-up at the start of the first lap and had to fight his way back from tenth place. In the meantime, there was already a 2.3s gap to the top 5, which the Dutchman was able to close together with Angel Piqueras in the last six laps. The 19-year-old even managed to move up to fifth place on the final lap, passing his title rival David Alonso. Even though Veijer had to relinquish his second place in the world championship for the time being, he is now tied on points with Ivan Ortola for fourth place in the world championship ahead of the 14th race of the season.

Collin Veijer, P5 – (+0.491) Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P4 – 173 Points: “It was a difficult race, but to finish in fifth place is okay. We fight for a good position and points in every race, so I think today’s result is still okay. Especially because I was able to close a gap of two seconds to the guys in the leading group – an achievement that I think is respectable. But of course, we have to further improve for the next race here in Misano in two weeks’ time.”

Collin Veijer secures 2nd grid row in Misano

Collin Veijer from the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 team crashed in qualifying while on the provisional pole, which pushed him down to fifth place on the second row of the grid.

There was a lot going on on this sunny qualifying day in Italy, where Collin Veijer was the main contender for a perfect grid position on the 4.23 km Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The Dutchman improved his Friday best time in P2 by an incredible 0.867s and the 19-year-old also demonstrated his strength in the following qualifying session. While almost the entire rider field was already doing their laps, Veijer set off alone and immediately set the new best time on the 40°C hot asphalt. Last year’s Moto3 rookie held on to this position until a few moments before the end of the session. Just as the rider with the starting number 95 was preparing his final attack to confirm his provisional pole, the curbs in turn 2 proved to be his undoing. Veijer touched the inside curb with his front wheel, which destabilized his Husqvarna. Unable to prevent the crash, he landed in the gravel, but fortunately remained uninjured, meaning that he will start the 20-lap thriller on Sunday at 11:00 am in the best of spirits.

Collin Veijer, P5 (Q2) – 1’40.959 (+0.454): “We improved a lot this morning, so the feeling was already good. That’s why I went into qualifying with a better feeling than I had yesterday and was confident. Things went well in qualifying, I felt strong and tried to push my laps to get into the rhythm. But then we put in a new tyre on and waited a moment until a few people went out, so I was alone on the track. I ended up doing a fast lap, but I lost the front in turn two, which was a small mistake on my part, but I tried to push to the limit. I’m sorry for my team because it’s a bit of a shame. Nevertheless, we can be happy with the second row and confident for the race tomorrow.”

Collin Veijer brilliant second in Aragon catch-up race

Collin Veijer rode Sunday one of the most brilliant races of his still-young Moto3 career in Aragon, finishing second in the race and in the championship standings.

At the start of the 17-lap race, Collin Veijer lost three places coming from ninth position, which was certainly due to the partly still-wet asphalt after overnight rain showers. When world championship leader David Alonso stole away at the front, the Dutchman put on the turbo on his Husqvarna. What followed was an incredible catch-up, in which one fastest race lap followed the next. Within just a few laps, the 19-year-old stalked his way up from 12th to second place, where he set course for the top spot. The gap of over two seconds melted away, allowing Veijer to take the race lead with five laps remaining. He even managed to pull away, but the asphalt caused his tyres to decrease more and more each lap. As a result, a four-rider battle suddenly developed, from which Jose Antonio Rueda ultimately emerged victorious after Veijer had nothing left to offer with two laps to go.

A phenomenal twelfth race of the season, which brings Collin Veijer back to second place in the world championship and gives a foretaste of the rest of the season, in which nothing has yet been decided.

Collin Veijer, P2 – (+1.985), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P2 – 162 Points: “I am very happy because I had a difficult weekend and struggled a lot with the track’s conditions. I started the race calmly and tried to see what was possible, although I saw that David was pulling a gap. But I knew that if I rode a clean line, I would have the same pace. That’s what happened. I caught him and passed him, but I was on the medium tyre so, I tried to control the drop. Anyway, after a difficult weekend, we are back on the podium, so I am happy. Many thanks to the team, they did a great job and helped me a lot these days.”

MotorLand Aragon challenges Collin Veijer

Collin Veijer had in Aragon a challenging start to the twelfth race weekend of the season. In changeable track conditions, the Dutchman finished P9 in Qualifying 2.

The 5.08 km Motorland Aragon track offers the perfect amount of variety with its fast sections followed by numerous corners with a few meters of difference in elevation. If the weather then makes for difficult conditions, together with the highly competitive Moto3 class, you have everything you need for an exciting qualifying day.

The first sessions of the weekend saw Collin Veijer in fourth place, 0.7 seconds behind world championship leader David Alonso, who meanwhile won every practice session. Due to the still-wet asphalt on Saturday morning, Friday’s times ultimately decided who had to take part in which qualifying session. Thanks to the 1’57.842 from P1, the 19-year-old kept his place in Q2, where he finished ninth and secured a solid grid position on the third row for the 17-lap race on Sunday at 11:00 am. The talented youngster is certainly confident, as the trust in himself and his Husqvarna is high and Veijer hopes to be able to chase his next podium in the twelfth Grand Prix of the year.

Collin Veijer, P9(Q2) – 1’59.717 (+1.658): “The conditions this morning were very different to yesterday, as it was still wet on track. Nevertheless, the feeling wasn’t actually that bad. I did my best in qualifying and ended up in P9. But I’m confident, even if I’m not very happy with the position because I’m satisfied with our performance today. So, let’s see what we can achieve tomorrow.”

Collin Veijer strong fifth in Austria

Collin Veijer delivered a strong performance in Austria. The LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider was Sunday in the Moto3 race at the Red Bull Ring in direct contention for victory and took P5.

When the lights went out on the 4.35-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, a top-class podium battle ensued. Collin Veijer was in the thick of it and at times ahead of the pack. Despite a solid start from third position, the Dutchman lost ground slightly in the first few corners and had to fight his way back from seventh place in the following laps, which he managed to do until the middle of the race.

The 19-year-old Dutchman also closed the gap to the top three on his own, which he attacked very successfully a little later and left behind him. It was not until five laps before the end that championship rival David Alonso overtook Veijer, who had been in the lead until then. However, the latter had other fast rivals in tow, which disrupted the rhythm of the world championship fourth-placed rider for a short time. Veijer tried with all his might to fight back, but he lost too much time due to a weakening front at the entrance to the corner, while Alsonso, Muñoz and Holdagdo fought it out at the front for the eleventh race win of the season. A final attempt to salvage fourth place was unsuccessful and so the youngster finished the Austrian Grand Prix in a strong fifth place with a further eleven championship points.

Collin Veijer, P5 – (+0.303), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P4 – 142 Points: “Our race performance was not bad, the feeling was okay. I had to close the gap to the front and did my best to catch them. Eventually, I took the lead and then tried to ride at a faster pace. I also tried to find my rhythm and the feeling was still okay. But towards the end of the race, I lost a bit of confidence in the front. So, I had to slow down a bit and was overtaken by the others. Then, however, I couldn’t get back to the front so easily. Overall, the weekend was very strong again, so I’m very confident that we can do a good job in Aragon.”

Collin Veijer takes P3 on the front row in Spielberg

Collin Veijer finished the hard-fought Moto3 qualifying session at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in a strong third place on row 1.

The 4.35-kilometre-long Red Bull Ring was a busy place towards midday of the qualifying Saturday, with Collin Veijer being one of the main protagonists. The 19-year-old Dutchman had already laid a good foundation on Friday with a third place in first practice, which he confirmed with two third places in P2 and the following qualifying session. It is possible that the title contender could have done even better, but unfortunately, a fast lap was cancelled due to exceeding the track limits. Nevertheless, Veijer is delighted with his front-row start for the eleventh Grand Prix of the year, in which he will try to close the gap to the top three in the world championship.

Collin Veijer, P3 – 1’40.216 (+0.159): “I think this weekend is another good one so far as we are on the front row, which is not bad. I was quite confident the whole time because I was able to set a decent lap time on every lap. We stayed out with the same tyre because I felt like I shouldn’t go in and lose a lot of time. I had also found a good rhythm, even though we had a problem with the track limits several times. So, I went to the limit every lap and tried everything to get faster. When another lap was cancelled because of the track limits, I had to do the lap again and luckily, I was even faster. So, it’s not bad, especially as we can be pretty confident because of the pace we can ride on our own. I think with slipstreaming you can easily gain four or five tenths on this track. I don’t expect a very big group for the race because nobody else can ride a really fast pace. We just have to survive the first few laps with the tyres, after that I think we can pull out a lead. Nevertheless, I think the race will be very nice, especially for the spectators!”

Collin Veijer in 2025 with Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2

Collin Veijer has earned a slot with the prolific Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team for 2025 and the next phase in the 19-year old’s career journey.

The Dutchman is currently 4th in the 2024 Moto3 world championship and is negotiating only his second Grand Prix campaign. Veijer has made just 29 starts and has already grasped two victories and has appeared on the podium seven times since making his debut at the beginning of 2023.

Tall in stature and praised for his quick adaption to Grand Prix, his mature approach and natural attacking style; Veijer is one of the brightest prospects to emerge from The Netherlands this century and will step into the intermediate category next year to continue his rapid trajectory and his path in the KTM Academy.

Before coming to Moto3, Veijer fought for the 2022 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup title and also captured wins and trophies in FIM JuniorGP. He has raced in Italy and uses Spain as a training base during the racing season. Collin will accompany Deniz Öncü as part of Aki Ajo’s decorated Moto2 rider roster. The squad have won three Moto2 titles with three different riders in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and helped four racers make the step to the MotoGP™ premier class in that time frame.

Collin Veijer: “I am super-happy to have signed with Aki and the Red Bull KTM Ajo team in Moto2. KTM is present in all GP classes and this is a great move for my career. It is such a renowned team and past results speak for themselves. For sure it won’t be easy coming from Moto3 but I will prepare myself well. 2025 is the right moment to make the step, also physically the Moto2 bike will suit me better. At the same time, I realise that we are still only half way through the current season and I will continue to keep my maximum focus to reach the best possible Moto3 championship result this year. “

Aki Ako, Red Bull KTM Ajo Team Principal: “I’m very happy to have Collin on board, as we have followed him for many years. He has shown great progress and professionalism and has already made his first steps in the program by taking part in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. During his two seasons in Moto3 he has shown that he is a rider with a bright future ahead of him on the world stage. What I also respect is his focus and his sacrifice, as his life is dedicated to reaching his targets at the highest level. It is a pleasure to continue with the KTM Academy’s work and to keep pushing to get the maximum potential out of the riders.”