01/09/2024

Veijer brilliant second in Aragon catch-up race

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer rode one of the most brilliant races of his still-young Moto3 career in Aragon, finishing second in the race and in the championship standings. Tatsuki Suzuki fought hard in the midfield and took two more championship points home to Misano in fourteenth place.

The Aragon Grand Prix wrote a story with so many plot twists on this sunny race Sunday that it was almost impossible to keep up.

At the start of the 17-lap race, Collin Veijer lost three places coming from ninth position, which was certainly due to the partly still-wet asphalt after overnight rain showers. When world championship leader David Alonso stole away at the front, the Dutchman put on the turbo on his Husqvarna. What followed was an incredible catch-up, in which one fastest race lap followed the next. Within just a few laps, the 19-year-old stalked his way up from 12th to second place, where he set course for the top spot. The gap of over two seconds melted away, allowing Veijer to take the race lead with five laps remaining. He even managed to pull away, but the asphalt caused his tyres to decrease more and more each lap. As a result, a four-rider battle suddenly developed, from which Jose Antonio Rueda ultimately emerged victorious after Veijer had nothing left to offer with two laps to go. A phenomenal twelfth race of the season, which brings Collin Veijer back to second place in the world championship and gives a foretaste of the rest of the season, in which nothing has yet been decided.

In the end, the race at MotorLand Aragon turned into a fight for survival for everyone. The track conditions took their toll and Tatsuki Suzuki also had his hands full trying to stay in the points after a strong start catapulted him up seven positions from P19 to 12th. In the midst of this battle in the midfield, the Japanese rider held his own vehemently against the numerous attacks from his Moto3 colleagues thanks to his good pace. The level of this racing series speaks for itself, which makes the fourteenth place at the end of the race all the more impressive, as the 26-year-old can at least take two more world championship points with him to Misano, where the thirteenth round of the season will take place next week from September 6th - 8th.

Results

Race
1. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM
2. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – (+1.985)
3. Luca LUNETTA/ ITA/ HONDA – (+3.556)
14.Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+23.532)

World Championship
1. ALONSO David/ COL – 237
2. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 162
3. ORTOLA Ivan/ SPA –157
14. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 50

Team Classification
1. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 279
2. MT HELMETS -MSI – 242
3. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 212

Collin Veijer

P2 - (+1.985)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P2 - 162 Points

"I am very happy because I had a difficult weekend and struggled a lot with the track’s conditions. I started the race calmly and tried to see what was possible, although I saw that David was pulling a gap. But I knew that if I rode a clean line, I would have the same pace. That's what happened. I caught him and passed him, but I was on the medium tyre so, I tried to control the drop. Anyway, after a difficult weekend, we are back on the podium, so I am happy. Many thanks to the team, they did a great job and helped me a lot these days.”

Tatsuki Suzuki

P14 - (+23.532)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P14 - 50 Points

“I had a good first lap in which I was able to gain a few positions, and I was quite competitive in the early stages of the race. In the second part, I was able to manage my tyres and my pace well and wanted to close the gap to the second group. But I didn't manage to do that, so I only finished in P14. That's a shame and obviously not the result I wanted. Anyway, next weekend we have already another race, which is good to get back to work straight away and try to focus on ourselves. Also, Misano is a particularly important race for me as I consider it my real home race.”

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

Aragon was a difficult weekend for everyone because of the new asphalt surface. The track conditions were different than expected, as there was less grip, and it was very slippery after the rain showers. This also had a big influence on tyre choice, which was not easy. On Friday, both crews in our garage started strongly and we were very happy with our work. Unfortunately, Tatsu was unable to qualify for Q2. Nevertheless, he made a good start to the race from 19th on the grid and was quickly in the top ten. Unfortunately, he was unable to convert his speed into a better result. We still have to work with him on this point. He has the speed for much better results.

Collin, on the other hand, put in another strong performance and managed his race well. He fought for victory right to the end. Even if it wasn't enough, today’s second place is well deserved. This has moved him up to second place in the points table, which shows our consistency and gives us hope for the rest of the season. We also know where we need to focus with Tatsu, and we are very confident that we can achieve better results with him from Misano onwards.”

Pictures Moto3 – Sunday Aragon GP 2024

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