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.”