Top six for Tatsuki Suzuki at Americas Grand Prix

Round three of 2024 MotoGP™ rounded the complex Circuit of the Americas in Texas and Husqvarna Motorcycles’ Tatsuki Suzuki scored 6th in Moto3™.

Qatar, Portugal and then to the United States for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas and for a stop on the world championship trail with a very distinctive Texas flavour. LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna IntactGP travelled to Austin hopeful of more points, progress and prizes with their efforts in both the Moto3 and Moto2™ categories.

The 5.5km, 20-corner layout offers a bewildering blend of fast, slow, open, closed, banked and blind corners for one of the most physical and technical challenges on the Grand Prix calendar. The Austin climate veered between bright and overcast but with good temperatures and enjoyed by an enthusiastic crowd.

Collin Veijer and Tatsuki Suzuki used the practice sessions in Moto3 to refine their set-up and feeling on the FR 250 GPs for the best compromise and all-round speed. By the end of qualification Veijer was 4th fastest and only several tenths of a second away from the Pole Position time. Suzuki was also improving his feeling in just his third meeting with the motorcycle and was 16th, on the sixth row of the grid.

Moto3 involved a 14-lap rush around COTA on Sunday morning. Veijer was immediately into the leading group that formed of five riders behind the runaway David Alonso. Chaos reigned with clashes and crashes and Veijer was hit three times by rivals running hot into tight turns like 11 and 15. The youngster kept his cool and focused on the pursuit of P2 but his race ended with three laps to go after a crash flicking through the chicane at Turn 6. Suzuki had attached himself to third group and inside the top ten as attrition gripped the race, the Japanese moved up. On the last lap he made sure of 6th and therefore 10 points.

In the championship standings Suzuki is now up to 5th and Veijer is just behind in 6th while the IntactGP team are 4th (from 13) in their respective table while Husqvarna Motorcycles is the fifth best Constructor based on Grand Prix points thus far. The entire team will roll into action in two weeks with the Spanish Grand Prix at the compact and atmospheric Circuit de Jerez-Angel Nieto.

Tatsuki Suzuki, 6th: “Today's race wasn't easy because a rider crashed in front of me right after the start. That wasn't all! In the next corner I was hit from behind by another rider and pushed 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. 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. I'm looking forward to Jerez and what we'll be able to do there."

Collin Veijer, DNF: “A strong race until the crash happened. A few riders touched me on the first few laps. 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 [David] Alonso pretty quickly. I did everything the same every lap until 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 to the team. 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."

Darryn Binder and Senna Agius led the charge for Husqvarna Motorcycles in Moto2 but faced some challenging circumstances with Senna trying to learn and master COTA for the first time and Darryn struggling with a cold, as well as a crash in Q1, that meant he was unable to log another fast lap and ranked 29th. Agius took to the grid in 22nd. Both riders had to go-for-broke in the first circulations and it was Agius who made good progress initially as Darryn pushed hard but made a mistake and had to re-join far behind the field. Senna battled on the edge of the top fifteen and for the final points and came across the line in 17th, ten places ahead of his teammate.

Senna Agius, 17th: “Not a bad start and I’ve improved in that aspect but I got shoved off the track which was disappointing. I fought back up and close to the points but I was losing out in some sectors and gaining in others. It was like a yo-yo but I learnt more from this race than the last couple. I think I am knocking on the door for something bigger. We’ll keep trying to build, and the gap to the leaders was not so bad.”

Darryn Binder, 27th: “Unfortunately it has been a weekend to forget. A tough day yesterday and I went into the race to try my absolute best and I was firing my way through the grid but made a mistake trying to overtake a rider into Turn 15 and that was the race over. Still struggling, a lot of work to do and will just look forward to the next one.”

Results Moto3 Americas Grand Prix

1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO 31:38.427, 2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +5.163, 3. Angel Piqueras (ESP) Honda +5.176, 6. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP +13.730, 8. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +19.126, 9. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +19.325, 13. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +22.869, DNF. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP, DNS. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo

World championship standings Moto3

1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 65 points, 2. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 63 , 3. Joel Kelso (AUS) KTM, 28, 5. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP, 22, 6. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP, 21, 7. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 20, 9. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 20, 11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 19, 20. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 3

Results Moto2 Americas Grand Prix

1. Sergio Garcia (ESP) 34:25.954, 2. Joe Roberts (USA) +0.492, 3. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) +3.293

10. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +12.751, 17. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna IntactGP +19.460, 20. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO +26.351, 22. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +33.210, 23. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO +43.821, 27. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna IntactGP +1:17.291

World championship standings Moto2

1. Sergio Garcia (ESP), 51 points, 2. Joe Roberts (USA), 49, 3. Alonso Lopez (ESP), 38, 10. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 22, 18. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna IntactGP, 2, 20. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna IntactGP, 1, 21. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 1, 24. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO, 0, 27. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO, 0