28/04/2024

Collin Veijer takes triumphant Jerez victory

The Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto was a real Moto3 thriller right up to the finish line, in which LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 youngster Collin Veijer clinched his triumphant second Grand Prix victory with a 0.045s lead. Tatsuki Suzuki finished the race outside the points after a technical incident.

Collin Veijer fired up the turbo gear of his Husqvarna machine after starting the race from third position and, despite losing positions at the beginning, found himself in second place on the second lap when the weekend's pole setter, David Alonso, crashed while leading. After a targeted surprise attack on David Muñoz, the Moto3 race was a Collin Veijer show from then on. The 19-year-old set a decent pace together with his six pursuers. It was only towards the end of the 19-lap race that David Muñoz and Ivan Ortola appeared to be able to pose a threat to him, but the strong Dutchman rejected every attempt to attack and crossed the finish line, cheered on by thousands and thousands of fans, as a two-time Grand Prix winner and now third in the World Championship.

For Japanese team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki, the Jerez Grand Prix went less smoothly, as starting number 24 was suddenly missing from the timesheets on the fourth lap. Suzuki had previously been in seventh place, where he was fighting to catch up with the leading group. The 26-year-old appeared to have technical problems and then headed for the pits to his LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP crew. He immediately re-joined the race in order to use the remaining race laps to further familiarise himself with the Husqvarna and gain important data ahead of the upcoming Moto3 test on Tuesday.

From the 10th - 12th of May, the fifth World Championship round of the year at the Le Mans Circuit will continue at the French Grand Prix and so will the battle for points, podiums and victories.

RESULTS

Race
1. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA
2. David MUÑOZ/ SPA/ KTM – (+0.045)
3. Ivan ORTOLA/ SPA/ KTM – (+0.871)
25. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+1 lap)

World Championship
1. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 74
2. ALONSO David/ COL – 68
3. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 46
11. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 22

Team Classification
1. RED BULL GASGAS TECH3 – 97
2. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 88
3. BOE MOTORSPORTS – 77
4. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 68

Collin Veijer

P1
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P3 - 46 Points

"It's a great feeling, I'm really happy. Overall, the race was quite consistent, and our pace was good. It's a bit of a shame that Alonso crashed because I think we could have had a very nice battle right to the end. But a race is always different. As for my tyres, I was a bit on the limit. Nevertheless, the feeling was good, and I was able to keep the pace. I was expecting a possible attack on the last lap, but I already won here in the JuniorGP, so I tried to do the same way as then and it worked well. There were still wet patches, but I found my way through as I knew where they were. One critical spot was the last corner, especially in the middle of the bend. A big thank you to the whole team for the work they do every time."

Tatsuki Suzuki

P25 - (+1 Lap)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P11 - 22 Points

"It's a shame, because the feeling with the bike was good. But there was a problem after the second lap. That's why I had to come into the pits, where my crew was able to solve it quickly. Nevertheless, it unfortunately ruined the race for us. It was very bad luck because it was nobody's fault. Hopefully, this anger will bring us positive results next time."

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

"The weekend started very well for us, we achieved our best Friday results so far and that was the basis to enter directly into Q2 for the second time in a row with both riders. Collin's third place on the grid and P9 for Tatsuki were also our best qualifyings so far and the perfect conditions for today's race. Collin put in an incredible performance today as he controlled the race from the front at every time. He set lap times in the range of 1:45 minutes right up to the last lap and in doing so, he kept the pace high. This gave his direct opponents no chance of getting past him. Collin also did everything right on the last lap, he defended his position and more than deserved the win."
"On the other hand, it was a shame for Tatsuki, because it was very clear to see on the first two laps of the race that he had the speed to keep up with the group. Tatsuki could have had a say at the front today. So, it was very bitter for us that he had to enter the pits due to a technical problem. But he re-joined the race, mainly to gain more experience for the test on Tuesday. It was important for us to do as many laps as possible in order to obtain data and also for him to improve his riding skills. From the team's point of view, his incident is a great pity, but the joy of Collin's victory today outweighs that. It means that we have reduced the gap in the championship. Collin is now in third place in the championship and with fourth place in the team standings we have a direct link to the top. This gives us hope for the next races and overall we can be satisfied as we have two very competitive riders in our team. Congratulations to the whole team on their performance here in Jerez."

Moto3 Pictures - Sunday Jerez GP 2024

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