Suzuki scores in heated Down Under battle, Veijer eighteenth after crash
It was an eventful race for LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 riders Collin Veijer and Tatsuki Suzuki at the legendary Phillip Island Circuit. A crash on lap 12 deprived Veijer of any chance of scoring points despite rejoining the race, while his Japanese team-mate at least managed to secure a point in P15.
In surprisingly good weather, the Moto3 riders rolled onto the grid of the 4.45 km long traditional race track on the south coast of Australia. As soon as the starting lights went out, an unrivalled battle for position ensued. In the first few metres of the 21-lap race, Collin Veijer lost a few positions from his second place on the grid and allowed himself time to find his rhythm after the initial carnage. At one point, the Dutchman was even in eleventh position, from where he fought his way back up to P6 before Angel Piqueras made a mistake on lap 12 with fatal consequences for Veijer and his world championship rival Ivan Ortola. Veijer's line was cut off at the apex of the corner, causing Piqueras to touch his front tyre, which then caused the 19-year-old to swerve and hit the side of Ortola, who also crashed in the collision. Veijer had the presence of mind to rejoin the race quickly in 21st position but was unable to catch up with the points, so last year's Moto3 rookie finished in eighteenth place, which puts him 23 points behind Daniel Holgado in third place in the battle for the runner-up title ahead of the Grand Prix of Thailand in just one week's time.
Tatsuki Suzuki's race also had some exciting moments in store after the 26-year-old got away well from the sixth row on the grid and jumped into the points from P17 in the first few metres. In the following laps, the Japanese rider even improved to third place thanks to his strong pace. And even though he soon had to relinquish this position in the 15-strong leading group, 'Tatsu' fought tenaciously in the midfield before losing some of his resilience towards the end of the race and ultimately having to settle for fifteenth place. After his strong start, the ambitious Suzuki is a little disappointed to take just one point from the 18th round of the season, but there is not much time to fret, as the penultimate overseas race in Thailand will take place at the Chang International Circuit from the 25th - 27th of October, where the two team-mates in the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 squad will be aiming for another big points hunt.
Results
Race
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO
2. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – (+2.936)
3. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – (+2.939)
15. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+12.446)
18. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – (+39.310)
World Championship
1. ALONSO David/ COL – 346
2. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 232
3. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 209
13. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 82
Team Classification
1. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 391
2. MT HELMETS -MSI – 297
3. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 291
