Collin Veijer fights his way to P11 in Indonesia

Collin Veijer secured a commendable eleventh place finish in the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia on Sunday. The 21-year old Dutch rider was caught up in a multi-rider incident on the opening lap but, thanks to an impressive effort from his Red Bull KTM Ajo team, was able to take part in the restart. After a month without racing and very limited preparation on the bike, Veijer looks back on his Moto2 comeback with satisfaction.

Under demanding conditions, with track temperatures reaching a scorching 64°C, Collin Veijer lined up eighth on the grid for Sunday afternoon’s race at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. However, things went wrong at the very first corner when several riders crashed, leaving the Dutchman unable to avoid a motorcycle lying on the track.

The race was immediately red-flagged. Veijer managed to bring his damaged machine back to pit lane, where the Red Bull KTM Ajo mechanics, assisted by the Moto3 crew, worked against the clock to repair his bike in time. Thanks to their tremendous efforts, the Dutch rider was able to participate in the restart of the race, which had been shortened to fourteen laps.

At the restart, Veijer lost several positions and found himself battling in a large group of riders. Despite a difficult opening phase, he gradually regained his rhythm and joined the fight for eighth place. However, as the race progressed, he struggled with decreasing rear tyre grip, eventually crossing the finish line in eleventh position.

With five valuable World Championship points, Veijer brings his season total to 80.5 points. He currently occupies twelfth place in the Moto2 World Championship standings, just 2.5 points away from the top ten.

Collin Veijer (P11 | +15.217): “I’m quite satisfied with the weekend. Of course, there are still plenty of things we need to improve, but considering that I hadn’t been on the bike for a month and had mainly been focusing on my recovery, I think we can be happy with what we’ve achieved. Unfortunately, the race started with that crash, but luckily we were given a second chance. After the restart, things didn’t feel quite the way I wanted, especially on the left-hand side, where I struggled with rear tyre wear. In the end, we still managed to secure an eleventh-place finish. The most important thing is that I’m enjoying riding the bike again and working together with the team. I want to thank everyone in the team for their incredible efforts, especially the mechanics who managed to get my bike race-ready again in such a short time after the crash.”

Following the collarbone fracture he sustained during the first free practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix, the Indonesian race weekend marks an important step in Veijer’s recovery and return to racing. The Dutch rider now turns his attention to the next Grand Prix, which will take place from 23 to 25 October at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia.