27/10/2024

Veijer third in thrilling Thailand sprint, Suzuki takes top 10

The Thailand race, which was shortened to 12 laps, was hard to beat in terms of excitement for the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 riders Collin Veijer and Tatsuki Suzuki. While the Dutchman fought his way from within the top 5 to third place, the Japanese rider made his way from P20 into the top 10.

The Moto3 race at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand was shortened to a 12-lap sprint after the tarmac of the 4.55km track did not dry in time after the morning rain due to the high humidity. The race was eventually started as a wet race, with the entire field opting for slick tyres, which required extreme caution in some sections.

Collin Veijer once again mastered this challenge well, as the Dutchman's good start allowed him to take the lead on the second lap, but his rivals were not to be beaten so easily and within the next few laps Veijer had dropped back to fifth place. The 19-year-old also started his final lap from P5 and positioned himself perfectly to launch a decisive attack out of the final corner with plenty of momentum. Taiyo Furusato did not expect this counter-attack, which saw Veijer stalk past on the inside to take third place and unfortunately led to a contact between the two, causing the rider with the number 72 to crash. With 16 more championship points, Veijer reduced the gap to Daniel Holgado to eleven points in the world championship.

Tatsuki Suzuki also completed twelve strong laps. Starting from twentieth position, the shortened race gave the Japanese rider even less time to make his way into the points. Thanks to his solid start, the 26-year-old was already in the top 15 after a very short time and, in addition to his strong pace, also benefited from a few retirements, which ultimately brought him into the top 10. With tenth place, 'Tatsu' takes six points with him to Malaysia, where the penultimate showdown of the season is scheduled from the 1st - 3rd of November. There are still enough points up for grabs to reach the top 10 in the World Championship and after the experienced Moto3 rider has already scored points in 15 races this season, the signs are good for Suzuki and the German team is also in contention for the runner-up spot in the team standings, being just 2 points behind second place.

Results

Race
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO
2. Luca LUNETTA/ ITA/ HONDA – (+0.353)
3. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – (+0.522)
10. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+8.308)

World Championship
1. ALONSO David/ COL – 371
2. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 236
3. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 225
13. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 88

Team classification
1. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 416
2. MT HELMETS -MSI – 315
3. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 313

Collin Veijer

P3 - (+0.522)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P3 - 225 Points

"Towards the end of the race I struggled with traction at the exit of the first-gear corners. So, in the last few laps, I stayed behind and waited to see what would happen. Some of the riders in front of me went into the last corner a bit too hot, while I followed my line. But suddenly I felt a contact and it was Taiyo, I don't know where he came from. I'm sorry for him that he crashed, but I don't think it was my fault, more a racing incident. In none of my 20 races in the World Championship have I done strange things, because that's not my intention. In my opinion, I am always a fair rider. Before that, I felt really good in the race and quite comfortable at the front until the gearbox problems I mentioned came up. I was still able to keep up the pace and finish on the podium. I'm very happy to be up here again."

Tatsuki Suzuki

P10 - (+8.308)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P13 - 88 Points

"After our modest performance in qualifying, we had to start from P20. In addition, the track was half wet and half dry at the start of the race, with only a narrow dry line. That made things difficult, especially overtaking, which was a bit risky at times. That was the reason why I lost a lot of time to the leading group at the beginning. But in the end, we managed to finish the race in the top ten again, which is nice, and I’m satisfied with it. But we have to fully focus on qualifying in order to be there from the start next time.”

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

“Coming to Thailand from Australia, the changeover was not easy for the riders due to the hot temperatures and high humidity. On both days of practice, conditions were stable with dry weather. Collin proved his competitiveness once again with his second place on the grid, while Tatsu did not make it past 20th place in qualifying. Apart from his grid position, he struggled to make his way forward in the early stages as there was only a narrow dry line. Nevertheless, he fought hard, and we are therefore satisfied with his tenth place, which is very important for the team’s championship. That puts us close to second place. On the other hand, Collin did another very good race. He fought for a podium finish, which he eventually achieved. We are very happy about that. With him, we still have the chance to take the runner-up spot in the riders' championship. We are currently eleven points short. So, we are very satisfied with the weekend from the team's point of view.”

Pictures Moto3 – Sunday Thailand GP 2024

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