Collin Veijer secures strong second-row start at Misano

Collin Veijer produced a strong qualifying performance at the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera on Saturday. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider qualified sixth at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, securing a place on the second row of the grid for Sunday’s 22-lap Moto2 race.

Following overnight rain, Saturday morning began in tricky conditions at Misano. The track remained wet for the second Free Practice session but gradually dried as the session progressed. Veijer initially completed just one lap to assess the conditions before returning to the pit box, opting to wait as the circuit continued to dry.

The 21-year-old Dutchman returned to action in the closing stages of FP2 and steadily improved his pace. A strong final flying lap saw him make a significant jump up the timesheets, with a 1’36.352 putting him 13th at the end of the session.

Strong qualifying pace without a slipstream

Conditions had improved significantly by the time qualifying got underway, with a track temperature of 37°C providing near-ideal conditions for Q2.

Veijer was immediately on the pace and deliberately chose to complete his qualifying laps without using a slipstream, focusing instead on extracting the maximum from his own pace. His first competitive lap of 1’34.356 put him firmly in contention at the front, and he completed his opening run in fifth position.

After a brief return to the pit box, Veijer headed back out for his final run and improved again. A 1’34.099 briefly moved him into second place as the battle for the front two rows intensified.

The pace increased dramatically in the closing minutes, with no fewer than eight riders eventually lapping underneath the previous circuit record. Veijer finished the session sixth, less than four tenths of a second from pole position.

The result means the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider will start from the second row of the grid for the second consecutive Grand Prix.

Collin Veijer: “Overall, I think we can be pleased with our second day here at Misano. We did a particularly good job in qualifying. On the first run I deliberately wanted to ride on my own to see where we stood in terms of outright pace, and I think it worked out exactly as we hoped. We are on the second row again, which is a good result here at Misano. The level in Q2 was incredibly high. Tomorrow we will have to see how the riders ahead of us get away from the line. The key for us will be to make a good start, stay with the front group from the beginning and then give it everything we have. Over the last few race weekends we have shown that we are getting closer and closer to a really strong result. I feel like we genuinely deserve one now.”

The 22-lap Moto2 race at the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera gets underway at 12:15 local time on Sunday at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.