Collin Veijer impresses on his return with eighth place on the grid in Indonesia

Collin Veijer secured eighth place on the grid for Sunday’s Moto2 race at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia. The 21-year-old Dutchman delivered a strong qualifying performance at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit on Saturday, topping Q1 before setting the eighth-fastest lap time in Q2. It was a positive result for the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider, who is making his comeback this weekend after missing two Grand Prix rounds due to a collarbone injury.

Collin Veijer started Saturday by setting the tenth-fastest lap time in Free Practice 2. With a time of 1’32.800, he once again demonstrated a competitive pace and improved his personal best lap time at the Indonesian circuit.

During qualifying, held in extremely demanding conditions with track temperatures approaching 65 degrees Celsius, the Dutchman continued to impress. In Q1, he topped the timesheets from his very first flying lap. With an impressive 1’32.325, he secured his place in Q2 as the fastest rider in the session.

Veijer also delivered a strong performance in the decisive qualifying session. Setting a lap time of 1’32.362 without the benefit of a slipstream, he finished eighth, securing a third-row start for Sunday’s Moto2 race.

Collin Veijer: “I think we can be satisfied with how Saturday went. Free Practice 2 this morning wasn’t easy, but we gained more and more confidence heading into qualifying. In Q1, I immediately felt comfortable on the bike, and especially during the second run, we managed to make a significant step forward. We also had a good feeling in Q2 and were able to set a strong lap time. There is still some room for improvement, but overall, we can be pleased with our performance today. Tomorrow, we’ll give it everything to carry this positive feeling into the race and achieve a good result.”

Sunday’s Moto2 race at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia will be contested over 22 laps. The race is scheduled to start at 13:15 local time (07:15 Dutch time).