Collin Veijer takes P5 in Malaysian heat battle

Collin Veijer finished fifth in Sepang on Sunday in the penultimate Moto3 race of the season. As a result, the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider did good business in the battle for second place in the championship.

The Sepang International Circuit demanded everything from man and machine in high temperatures and even higher humidity. This was also the case for Collin Veijer, who pushed his Husqvarna to the limit during the 15 laps of the race in order to keep in touch with the potential podium places. Up until a few laps before the end, it looked as if the 19-year-old, who started the race from eighth on the grid, still had something up his sleeve to make up ground, but a few duels took their toll.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman managed to secure fifth place in the battle for the runner-up title. In the riders’ championship, Veijer is level with Daniel Holgado, who crashed in Sepang, which postpones the decision on the runner-up title until the grand final.

Collin Veijer, P5 – (+1.091), Moto3 World Championship 2024 – P3 – 236 Points: “The feeling was really good. Before the race we were told that we would have another race, so we decided not to risk too much, but just to stay on the bike. When I saw that my rival for P2 in the overall standings crashed, I told myself to stay calm and not risk anything crazy. That’s what I did for the whole race, collecting everything but always trying to stay in the group. At some point, I followed Ortola and wanted to overtake him at a certain point, because it wasn’t possible on the straights. But I had a lot of trouble at the corner entries at the hard braking points because we were using the harder front tyre. Overall, we did a good job in terms of the championship by finishing the race in P5. This means that we are equal on points with the second-placed rider. But P4 in the overall standings has moved a bit closer, separated by just two points. So, we have to focus on the last race and do our job well there, because we really want to take the runner-up title.”