Collin Veijer fights back to 21st place at San Marino GP

Collin Veijer showed impressive pace in the second half of the Moto2 race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli but was forced to fight back from deep in the field, eventually finishing 21st in the San Marino Grand Prix.

A dry weekend at Misano concluded with track temperatures reaching 30ºC for the Moto2 race. Veijer made a strong start, gaining two positions in the opening three laps and joining the same group as teammate Dani Muñoz. However, a mistake at Turn 3 on lap four sent the Dutchman into the gravel. Rejoining in 28th place and over eight seconds behind, he set about mounting a recovery with consistent pace, climbing back up the order to cross the line in 21st. Just a tenth of a second behind the riders directly ahead, Veijer demonstrated a competitive rhythm in the second half of the race, comparable to that of the Top 10. He remains 19th in the overall standings with 39 points.

Collin Veijer (Race P21, +27.786 | Championship P19, 39 points):
“The pace was there today, but we made a big mistake entering Turn 3 on the fourth lap and I ended up in the gravel. After that, I was in 28th position, so I had to start the comeback again. The feeling was great, but it was impossible to recover that much time, so we could only make it to 21st. It’s a shame, because after the first three laps we were 18th and in the main group, but that’s racing. The most important thing is that the feeling was good and that we showed a very competitive pace during the second half of the race, so we remain confident for the flyaway rounds just around the corner.”

The Moto2 World Championship continues in 15 days’ time in Japan, with the seventeenth round of the season taking place at Twin Ring Motegi from September 26 to 28.