24/03/2024

Veijer scores in Portugal with P6 and Suzuki in P13

It was a nerve-wracking Portuguese Grand Prix for LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 riders Collin Veijer and Tatsuki Suzuki, but both managed to score points. The Dutchman scored ten points with P6, while the Japanese rider can celebrate three more points thanks to his 13th place.

The start to the second race of the season went well for 19-year-old Collin Veijer, even though he lost two positions in the first few metres. However, it didn't take long for the Dutchman to gradually fight his way back and even close the gap to the leading group. A few laps before the end, Veijer found himself in the middle of a heated six-way battle for victory. In the end, however, a small gap opened up at the front. Meanwhile, last year's Moto3 rookie was in a close battle for the top four but was unable to hold his position across the line. The youngster ended this instructive weekend with ten points in 4th place in the World Championship.

Tatsuki Suzuki was already aware before the start that the 19-lap race would be challenging, but the Japanese rider fought back from 20th on the grid, especially at the beginning of the race, and eventually managed to finish in thirteenth place and thus once again in the points. The learning process following the switch from Honda to Husqvarna continues for the 26-year-old. During the three-week break before the next Grand Prix, the experienced rider would therefore like to use the time to analyse the data and what he has learned so far in order to prepare as best as possible for the upcoming overseas race.

From 12th - 14th of April, the Americas Grand Prix in Austin, Texas will set the stage for the next Moto3 spectacle. The Circuit of the Americas, aka COTA, will be no less challenging than the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve due to its unique characteristics.

RESULTS

Race
1. Daniel HOLGADO/ SPA/ GASGAS
2. Jose Antonio RUEDA/ SPA/ KTM – (+0.044)
3. Ivan ORTOLA SPA MT Helmets - (+0.820)
6. Collin VEIJER/ NED/ HUSQVARNA – (+2.263)
13. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+20.682)

World Championship
1. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 45
2. ALONSO David/ COL – 38
3. ORTOLA Ivan/ SPA – 23
4. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 21
11. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 12

Team Classification
1. RED BULL GASGAS TECH3 – 56
2. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 51
3. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 33

Collin Veijer

P6 - (+2.263)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P4 - 21 Points

"I think we had a good race. I felt quite strong and we closed some gaps. In the first sector, I felt fast but in sectors three and four we struggled a bit. It’s a track that I find quite tricky…but I think we made some good decisions with the team. I think we can take this information into the next race in America and let’s see if we can do better there.”

Tatsuki Suzuki

P13 - (+20.682)
Moto3 World Championship 2024 - P1 - 12 Points

"As in Qatar, we had to start from further back on the grid today, which always makes things a bit more complicated. But we managed to finish in the points again, even though we came from P20 on the grid. This shows that we are on a good way in terms of how we work and that we are constantly improving after just two races. My goal is still to fight for top positions from Jerez onwards. We will therefore also use the next race in Austin to continue our work in order to take further steps forward."

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

"We are satisfied, as we were able to build on the good result from Qatar with both riders. Collin was able to improve during practice sessions, which earned him sixth place on the grid. That was a good improvement on Qatar. In the race, a podium place was even within reach if it hadn't been for a small incident with David Alonso. I think, and this was also Collin's opinion, that third place would have been possible. But the incident created a small gap, which is why we had to settle for somewhere between fourth and sixth place. It was much more important not to make any mistakes in the hard-fought group and to get to the finish. That paid off, because Collin has moved up to fourth place in the overall standings."
"On the other side in our garage, Tatsuki still needs time to get used to the Husqvarna. But it is always to see small improvements, which gives us confidence. Tatsuki also rode a solid race, with the exception of the last four or five laps where most of the riders suffered from massive tyre wear. Tatsuki, on the other hand, was perhaps a little worse off. But on the whole, we are satisfied with the results of both riders. This is also confirmed by third place in the team standings. We definitely can build on this basis in Austin in three weeks' time and ideally take another step forward there with both riders."

Pictures Moto3 – Sunday Portimao

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