14/04/2024

Suzuki celebrates top 6 in Austin, highsider prevents podium for Veijer

The Moto3 race in Texas resembled a crash-festival right from the start, which LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer narrowly escaped several times until a highsider spectacularly brought him to the ground while lying in second position on lap eleven. Team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki took advantage of the numerous crashes to secure sixth place in the US Grand Prix.

The signs for a successful race Sunday were extremely good for Collin Veijer, especially as he was promoted to third place on the front row after Jose Antonio Rueda's withdrawal due to illness. But even the starting sequences were already hair-raising. Despite a collision in the first hairpin, the Dutchman remained seated and immediately tried to make up the lost metres and positions. Over the course of the next few laps, the 19-year-old fought his way back up to second place, from where he took up the chase from eventual race winner David Alonso, who at one point had a lead of over 4.5s on the strong chasing group. The gap to the front gradually shrank, but with just four laps to go, a highsider catapulted the previously incredibly strong Veijer out of the saddle of his Husqvarna in turn four, which not only cost him his first podium of the season but also numerous World Championship points that would have seen him travelling to Jerez de la Frontera in third place, where the fourth Grand Prix of the year is scheduled in a fortnight' time.

Tatsuki Suzuki, meanwhile, is already looking forward to his next chance to score points. Benefiting from the numerous crashes in the 14-lap-long US Grand Prix, the Japanese rider finally crossed the finish line of the 5.513 kilometre-long Circuit of the Americas in a beaming sixth place. With a further ten points in his account, he and his German racing team will now travel back to Europe in fifth place in the world championship, where many tracks await the 26-year-old, which he says suit him very well.

Even if the zero points are bitter for Collin Veijer, last year's shooting star proved that he is also a force to be reckoned with in the 2024 season. The Moto3 duo will once again be hunting for points and podiums in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, from 26th to 28th of April 2024.

RESULTS

Race
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO
2. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS – (+5.163)
3. Angel PIQUERAS/ SPA/ HONDA – (+5.176)
6. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+13.730)
DNF Collin Veijer/ NED/ HUSQVARNA

World Championship
1. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 65
2. ALONSO David/ COL – 63
3. KELSO Joel/ AUS – 28
5. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 22
6. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 21

Team Classification
1. RED BULL GASGAS TECH3 – 84
2. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 83
3. BOE MOTORSPORTS – 46
4. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 43

Collin Veijer

DNF
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P6 - 21 Points

"A strong race until the crash happened. A few riders touched me on the first few laps and that's why we lost contact with Alonso a bit. As soon as the field lined up, I tried as best I could to get in front of my group and stay there. I gave it my all on every lap and I saw that I was catching up with Alonso pretty quickly. I did everything the same on every lap until one time I tried to go a bit faster at the entrance of the fast 'S' corners and as soon as I turned the bike to the right side, I had a moment and high-sided myself. I am very sorry for the team that I had this crash. But after this mistake, we are still sixth in the championship, which is not a big disaster, but I feel much stronger than that. Let's see what we can do in Jerez."

Tatsuki Suzuki

P6 - (+13.730)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P5 - 22 Points

"Today's race wasn't easy because a rider crashed in front of me in turn one right after the start. That wasn't all, because in the next corner, I was hit from behind by another rider andpushed me off the track. I lost more positions as a result and, more importantly, I also lost contact with the second group. But I put my head down and tried to catch up with the group in front of me, which wasn't that easy. Nevertheless, we finished in P6, which was very important for me and the team. I'm happy because I did everything I could today, and I always gave 100 percent. More importantly, after this performance, I'm looking forward to Jerez and what we'll be able to do there."

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

"At this demanding track here in Austin, we achieved the best possible results with both riders in every practice session. We were already very competitive on Friday, which both Collin and Tatsuki confirmed on Saturday by making it straight into Q2, where they achieved their best grid positions so far this season. In today's race, many riders made mistakes and some of them made wild manoeuvres. Especially in the first two laps, things went haywire. Collin was very lucky twice that he didn't get involved in an accident. After that, he had a great chance of finishing on the podium today. He definitely had the speed, maybe even for second place.
His crash is therefore doubly bitter because a countable result from Collin would have helped us a lot in terms of the championship, as other riders have also made mistakes. But you also have to finish, and we didn't manage that with Collin. On the other hand, we are satisfied with Tatsuki's performance, which was very good. Compliments to him and his crew for sixth place. He gets better every weekend and doesn't make any mistakes. We are very happy with that. He is very consistent, as his fifth place in the championship proves. Collin is currently just one place behind Tatsuki, and both are only just behind third place. I think Austin has shown that we are competitive with both riders, but that both can also be further ahead."

Moto3 Pictures – Austin GP 2024 Sunday

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