04/08/2024

Veijer strong third in Silverstone thriller, Suzuki P10

The British Grand Prix provided plenty of excitement in the Moto3 race. LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer fought all the way to the finish line to triumph in the United Kingdom, where he finally climbed the podium in third place for the fifth time this season. Tatsuki Suzuki finished the tenth round of 2024 in a solid tenth place.

On Sunday, in slightly cooler temperatures, the Moto3 Grand Prix was held on the fast 5.901 km Silverstone Circuit and provided countless thrilling overtaking manoeuvres in the 15 laps of the race, especially in the eleven-strong leading group, which battled it out to the finish line and in which the two riders of the German racing team were also in the thick of the action.

Starting the race from second on the grid, Collin Veijer lost up to five positions in the first lap and proved his world-class ability by keeping calm and finding his rhythm before attacking with great vigour towards the middle of the race. When the pace at the front increased with just under four laps to go, the 19-year-old shooting star also stepped up the pace and took over the reigns of the field for some time. However, birthday boy Ivan Ortola and world championship leader David Alonso did not give in easily either, so both of them pushed past the Dutchman, who entered the final lap in the lead, in a hard manoeuvre with physical contact, meaning that Veijer was unable to fight back in the final metres. With a total of 131 points, the title contender is travelling to Austria in fourth place in the world championship, where he will try to settle the score with his rivals.

The British Grand Prix also went well for Tatsuki Suzuki. Leaving the line in ninth place, the speedy Japanese rider moved up one position to take up the chase with his team-mate in the first laps of the race. After the leading group grew to eleven riders, the veteran made it up to sixth place at one point but lost positions again towards the end of the race and finally finished the battle of Silverstone in a strong tenth place, adding another six points to his championship account.

From the 16th - 18th of August, the Moto3 squad will travel to the Red Bull Ring in Austria, where Collin Veijer's main objective will be to further reduce his 68-point deficit.

Results

Race
1. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM
2. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO – (+0.123)
3. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – (+0.226)
10. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+1.537)

World Championship
1. ALONSO David/ COL – 199
2. ORTOLA Ivan/ SPA –146
3. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 133
4. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 131
13. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 44

Team Classification
1. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 240
2. MT HELMETS -MSI – 228
3. RED BULL GASGAS TECH3 – 177
4. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 175

Collin Veijer

P3 - (+0.226)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P4 - 131 Points

"Silverstone is always a very long race and the track is also very long. It's important to conserve resources, therefore, I followed the group for a while. Sometimes I let a small gap open up, but I always had everything under control. I just wanted to enjoy the race. I felt quite good from the start, but I was lacking a bit to pull away. With six laps to go, I thought that now was the time to go to the front. I chose this moment because my pace was good, and I felt very comfortable. Finally, I saw that Ivan was able to open up a gap, which I was then able to close. I was happy with that. But in the last few laps the battles got tougher again. I went into the last lap leading, and I was aware that someone would try on the long straight. Despite the small contact with David, we made it onto the podium, which I'm very happy about. A big thanks to the team and everyone involved in this project."

Tatsuki Suzuki

P10 - (+1.537)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P13 - 44 Points

"It was a difficult race, although we had a good pace, and I felt quite good during the race. But unfortunately, I didn't make the right decision at one point to overtake another rider. As a result, I missed contact with the leading group a little. That was the reason why I finished in P10. The result is not perfect, but Silverstone was another positive weekend where we were able to improve again. That's why I'm looking forward to continuing at the next race in Austria."

Peter Öttl

Teamn Manager

"We had a strong weekend for both riders here at Silverstone. They got off to a strong start and qualified directly for Q2. That was half the battle for the race, with Collin starting from the front row and Tatsu from ninth place. The starting position for today's race was therefore good for both of them. Collin held back a bit at the start, just as we had discussed. In the final laps, however, he was in exactly the right position to finish on the podium and fight for the win. He did a really good job. Unfortunately, he lost some time due to a contact with another rider on the last long straight before the finish line. Collin was then able to close the gap but was unable to attack. We are satisfied with third place, but looking back on the weekend, his training results and his current level of performance, more would have been possible. Tatsu fought just as well in the race and achieved another solid top 10 result. He scored important points for himself and the team. However, we had hoped that he would finish this race between sixth and eighth place. Based on his performance on this track, that was definitely possible. We will now try again in Styria in two weeks' time."

Moto3 Pictures Sunday – British GP

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