Collin Veijer shares Moto3™ home glory with 2nd place at packed Dutch TT

Round eight of 2024 MotoGP™ took place at the revered TT Assen circuit and Husqvarna Motorcycles and Collin Veijer almost added to the folklore, missing out on P1 by 0.012 of a second.

The sun shone on the Drenthe region of the country and one of the historic hotbeds for motorcycle racing and general passion for two wheels. MotoGP gathered to resume competition after a three week pause and headed into a hectic back-to-back sequence of events at Assen and then the Sachsenring in Germany: two special tracks with a traditionally large and enthusiastic audience.

For the Husqvarna IntactGP team Assen and Germany held special significance. For their star Moto3 racer, Collin Veijer, there was the possibility to give his rapidly growing legion of fans and supporters another anticipated trophy while the crew then contemplated their own home fixture at the site west of Chemnitz.

Firstly, there was Veijer’s objective to meet, with the team also prepping the FR 250 GP to the best of their ability for teammate Tatsuki Suzuki to also show his potential and experience around the flat, narrow and weaving racetrack. It was the Dutch youngster who marked the terrain from the first sessions and headed Practice 1, Practice 2 and was holding Pole Position until the last seconds of Q2 on Saturday afternoon before having to accept 3rd place by just three tenths of a second. The front row slot of the grid for the 20-lap affair on Sunday was still an effective berth. Tatsuki was quick – only 0.6 from Pole – and filled 12th, on the fourth row.

The balmy weather continued into Sunday but under overcast skies and Moto3’s ‘pack mentality’ was clear from the first laps when a group of 13 circulated at pace. Suzuki crashed in the first laps and was out of the running but many eyes were on Veijer’s progress. He bided his time in 3rd and then pushed to the front, leading the final phases of the race while cheered by the crowd. Only an attack by Ivan Ortola into the GT Chicane denied Collin final glory: the sprint to the flag was decided by 0.012 of a second. Veijer’s efforts captured the emotions of the near-capacity public and the result marked his fourth podium appearance from the last five events.

#95 is 2nd in the world championship standings as the season nears the midway stage. Suzuki holds 31 points and is 16th on the list. The IntactGP team rank 4th from the total of 13. The compact and curling nature of the Sachsenring is next on the agenda.  

Collin Veijer, 2nd: “I started the race with the medium tyre, so I had to get used to it a little, and the wind was blowing in a different direction compared to yesterday. I tried to push in the last five laps to see if anybody could stay but then started to struggle a bit with rear grip and I couldn’t open the gas as easy anymore. Finally, Ivan caught me and made the pass. Thanks to every supporter here! I could see some cheering when I was at the front so thanks to everyone, my team, sponsors and friends.”

Tatsuki Suzuki, DNF: “It's a shame to end the weekend like this because I was expecting more today. Fortunately, we have the next race at the Sachsenring in a week's time. So, the mentality is already changed to make a good restart there. I felt good until the crash and tried to catch up with the leading group. But maybe I was pushing a bit too hard at that moment and under breaking I was, let's say, over the limit."

Moto2 provided more evidence of clear progress for duo Senna Agius and Darryn Binder. The Australian rookie had to make his way through Q1 on Saturday but completed yet more track time on his Dutch TT debut to find even quicker pace in Q2 and qualified 11th; a tidy 0.8 from Pole Position. Binder was only two tenths of a second from his teammate and took to the middle of the grid on Sunday in 15th. The South African made some positive moves in the formative laps and put himself into position to grab points; an objective he managed with P15 by the finish. Agius was a consistent runner inside the top ten. Only a track limits infringement on the last lap stopped him from securing 10th place and he was demoted to 11th.

Senna Agius, 11th: “For me it was a super-positive race. I got a good start and was able to go with the leaders initially but then struggled a bit with the front guys. I was able to keep with them and until the grip started to drop in the middle of the race. It was like Moto3 on the last lap! I just touched the green [zone] through the chicane and lost a position. A little bittersweet not to be in the top ten today but it was another positive result for us. A big thanks to the team and everyone in my corner. We’re learning a lot and it is only onwards and upwards from here.”

Darryn Binder, 15th: “After yesterday morning I felt pretty confident in the cooler conditions. I had high hopes but, unfortunately, I was just missing a bit of feeling at the beginning of the race. I was fighting as hard as I could for decent positions but I killed the rear tyre. We have a bit of work to do for Sachsenring.”

Results Moto3 Dutch TT Grand Prix

1. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM 33:45.971, 2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna +0.012, 3. David Muñoz (ESP) KTM +2.197, 4. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) KTM +2.430, 5. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +2.460, 11. Daniel Holgado (ESP) GASGAS +5.067, 14. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) GASGAS +27.868, 15. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO +27.940, 19. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM +31.102, DNF. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna

World championship standings Moto3

1. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 154 points, 2. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna, 115, 3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) GASGAS, 111, 7. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), KTM, 58, 11. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) GASGAS, 44, 12. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 36, 16. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna, 31, 22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) KTM, 3

Results Moto2 Dutch TT Grand Prix

1. Ai Ogura (JPN) 35:27.293, 2. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) +0.571, 3. Sergio Garcia (ESP) +4.252, 4. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO +8.985, 10. Celestino Vietti (ITA) +12.986, 11. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna +12.945, 15. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna +23.003, 18. Marcel Schrötter (GER) +33.235, 19. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO +33.311

World championship standings Moto2

1. Sergio Garcia (ESP), 138 points, 2. Ai Ogura (JPN), 124, 3. Joe Roberts (USA), 115, 12. Celestino Vietti (ITA), 44, 14. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO, 33, 16. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna, 21 , 17. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO, 18, 23. Deniz Öncü (TUR), 6 , 24. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna, 6