Veijer grabs row 2 in Austin qualifying, Suzuki in P16
The third round of the Motorcycle World Championship season drew the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 Team to Austin, Texas, where riders Collin Veijer and Tatsuki Suzuki delivered strong performances in Qualifying 2 at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing on the second and sixth row of the grid.
Collin Veijer really stepped up his game in the cloudy qualifying session, as the young Dutchman had already shown his strong side in free practice on Friday. Thanks to his 2'15.056 in P2, the 19-year-old was able to progress directly to Qualifying 2 on Saturday afternoon. In the 15-minute session, the rider with the number 95 completed targeted laps and gradually worked his way forward, taking the lead just a few seconds before the end of the session. However, there were still at least three faster rivals on the track, which ultimately pushed Veijer down to fourth place. This does not dampen his anticipation for the 14-lap race on Sunday, as he will start the US Grand Prix from fourth on the grid as the leader of the second row, directly behind pole man David Alonso, for which he is hoping for a successful finish with numerous points in addition to thrilling slipstream duels.
Tatsuki Suzuki is no less keen to score the next world championship points. The Japanese rider was unable to match his fast 2'14.766 from the morning due to the increasing wind in qualifying, which means he will have a lot more work to do in the race if he wants to push into the high points positions. The 26-year-old is already looking forward to the third race of the season on the extraordinary 5.513-kilometre Circuit of the Americas and is confident of making up ground in the race. The Moto3 race kicks off on Sunday at 6pm (CEST).
RESULTS
Free Practice
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 2'16.537
2. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – 2'16.719 (+0.182)
3. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'16.760 (+0.223)
5. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'17.171 (+0.634)
10. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'17.434 (+0.897)
P1
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 2'15.173
2. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'15.330 (+0.157)
3. Angel PIQUERAS/ SPA/ HONDA – 2'15.490 (+0.317)
16. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'16.448 (+1.275)
18. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'16.496 (+1.323)
P2
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 2'14.153
2. Joel KELSO/ AUS/ KTM – 2'14.537 (+0.384)
3. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'14.537 (+0.384)
8. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'14.766 (+0.613)
13. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'15.056 (+0.903)
Q2
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – 2'14.292
2. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – 2'14.309 (+0.017)
3. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – 2'14.487 (+0.195)
4. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – 2'14.574 (+0.282)
16. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – 2'15.738 (+1.446)
