Collin Veijer experiences difficult Sunday in Le Mans and remains without result

Collin Veijer endured a disappointing end to the Michelin Grand Prix of France on Sunday afternoon. The 21-year-old Dutchman crashed in a chaotic and shortened Moto2 race at the Bugatti Circuit and was therefore unable to finish. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider escaped uninjured but was handed a Long Lap penalty for the next Grand Prix in Catalunya.

After sunny conditions on Friday and Saturday, the weather changed completely on Sunday in Le Mans. Due to rainfall in the morning, the circuit was still partially damp at the start of the Moto2 race, causing the race distance to initially be reduced to fourteen laps. Following a red flag situation, the race was then restarted over just nine laps, turning it into a true sprint race.

Collin Veijer experienced a difficult opening phase. Starting from the fourth row of the grid, he immediately lost ground at the start and, after making a mistake on the opening lap, dropped back to last position. Shortly afterwards, the race was stopped with a red flag, meaning the original starting grid was reinstated for the restart and Veijer was once again allowed to start from tenth place.

At the restart, the Dutchman managed to stay upright in a large group of riders during the opening lap, but then lost control of his machine. Daniel Muñoz was also caught up in the incident. Veijer remained uninjured, but his race came to a premature end. In addition, he received a Long Lap penalty from Race Direction, which he will have to serve during the Grand Prix of Catalunya.

Due to the retirement, Veijer drops to eleventh place in the Moto2 World Championship standings with 29.5 points.

Collin Veijer: “There’s not much to say about today. My starts weren’t good and maybe I was a bit too cautious in the opening laps. I couldn’t get my focus in the right place and then made a mistake that ruined both my own race and that of another rider. I’m very disappointed about that. We have to accept the penalty for next weekend and move on. It’s important now to learn from this, come back stronger and use it as motivation to be mentally stronger in the upcoming races.”

The next round of the Moto2 World Championship will take place next weekend during the Gran Premi de Catalunya at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.