Top favourite Veijer on row 1 at home Grand Prix

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer surpasses himself at his home Grand Prix. Best times non-stop and the front row of the grid in a thrilling Moto3 qualifying session pave the way for a successful race Sunday, despite a Q2 highsider. Teammate Tatsuki Suzuki mastered the jump from Q1 and secured 12th place on the grid in row 4 for the Assen GP.

The Dutch TT is undoubtedly one of the absolute fan favourites and so the TT Circuit was packed in the best racing weather when the Moto3 qualifying session was opened by Dutch national hero Collin Veijer.
The local hero's first act was to immediately set a very competitive time. This 1'40.055 was to save him the front row of the grid at the end of the Q2 session, as the youngster gave everyone a real scare while lying on the provisional pole. The Dutchman was brutally catapulted off his Husqvarna in a highsider at the entrance to the final chicane of the 4.54-kilometre TT Circuit. His crew worked hard but were unable to get the bike and their protégé back on course in time. Anxious minutes followed, his eyes fixed on the time monitors, as the rider with number 95 was no longer able to actively intervene in qualifying. Despite everything, Veijer is regarded as the absolute top favourite for Sunday's race, having already been fastest in both practice sessions and also holding the lap record.
His thousands and thousands of fans around the track want to see the young Oranje fighter triumph in the 20-lap race. The 19-year-old may not feel the effects of the heavy impact just yet, so we can only hope that the shooting star will be fit enough for the expected Moto3 battle on Sunday at 11:00 (CEST).

For Tatsuki Suzuki, however, the qualifying day did not get off to the best possible start after the Japanese rider lost 1.154s to his teammate in P2, which earned him a place in Q1. The 26-year-old made good progress in the 15-minute session but crashed in third position at Turn 9. However, Suzuki was able to jump back on his Husqvarna to prepare for the final Q1 attack with his crew and, as if on order, he finally made it to Q2 in P4 despite another small slide in the third sector, which cost him additional time. In the end, the Japanese rider finished twelfth in Q2, which meant the fourth row of the grid for him in the eighth Grand Prix of the year and, thanks to his good pace, gave him a positive feeling.

Results

FP
1. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'40.610
2. Ryusei YAMANAKA/ JPN/ KTM – 1'40.701 (+0.091)
3. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'40.813 (+0.203)
8. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.088 (+0.478)
12.Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'41.769 (+1.159)

P1
1. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.259
2. Ryusei YAMANAKA/ JPN/ KTM – 1'40.553 (+0.294)
3. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'40.569 (+0.310)
11. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA - 1'40.921 (+0.662)

P2
1. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'39.703
2. Angel PIQUERAS/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'39.777 (+0.074)
3. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'39.790 (+0.087)
19. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.857 (+1.154)

Q1
1. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 1'40.380
2. Matteo BERTELLE/ ITA/ HONDA – 1'40.770 (+0.390)
3. Joel ESTEBAN/ SPA/ CFMOTO – 1'40.822 (+0.442)
4. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.948 (+0.568)

Q2
1. Angel PIQUERAS/ SPA/ HONDA – 1'39.746
2. Taiyo FURUSATO/ JPN/ HONDA – 1'39.820 (+0.074)
3. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.055 (+0.309)
12. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 1'40.392 (+0.646)