The Gran Premio de España brought MotoGP back to European asphalt and for a sustained run of events that will take the 76th season of the FIM World Championship into early summer. Jerez, and the tight, 4.4km winding collection of tight and fast corners, is a familiar venue to almost every Grand Prix rider thanks to its popularity as a testing site and also thanks to a steady presence on the MotoGP slate, heading back to its debut in 1987.
Cool and breezy Spring weather coated Friday and then the rain plummeted on Saturday morning at Jerez. Veijer and Suzuki had to find their rhythm in the wet and then mixed conditions as the track dried in time for Q2 qualification. Collin’s best lap was a second from Pole Position but good enough for 3rd and the final slot on the front row of the grid. Tatsuki was only a few spots behind in 9th.
The race spun around 19 laps on Sunday morning and was thankfully dry and sunny. Tatsuki’s plight inside the top seven unfortunately ended with a technical issue at the end of the second lap. He exited the pitlane to re-join the fray but could not improve on 25th place. In contrast, Collin was fighting hard at the front of the field and led a breakaway group of six after the first quarter of the distance. Somewhat uniquely, Veijer was barely headed by his rivals. The FR 250 GP remained at the peak of the field from the first circulations and all the way to the flag; showing unbeatable speed in the second half of the lap. His 0.045 winning margin was enough to bank the first win of the season for the team and ensure his second career success in what is just his second Moto3 year.
Tallying maximum points on Sunday afternoon reveals that Veijer now sits 3rd in the standings while Suzuki is 11th. Husqvarna Motorcycles is 4th in the Constructors league and the IntactGP crew rank 4th best in the category.
MotoGP rolls north next week to occupy another history-laden motorsport venue. The paddock trucks will park in the confines of Le Mans for the Grand Prix de France and round five in two weeks’ time.
Collin Veijer, 1st: “This feels strange to be fair! I felt great in the race and could keep the pace quite consistent and that brought me the win. On the last lap I thought I might need to block some corners but they didn’t pass me. I want to thank my family, friends, sponsors and everyone.”
Tatsuki Suzuki, 25th: “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. It was very bad luck because it was nobody’s fault. Hopefully this will bring us positive results next time.”
Moto2 involved 21 laps of position-swapping and frantic strategy as the teams and riders are still in the acclimatisation period of the new controlled Pirelli tyres. Senna Agius was the faster qualifier and the Australian rookie was able to put a healthy degree of track knowledge to good use. He was 19th while Darryn Binder made it to 21st on Saturday. The race itself ended early for Senna after contact with another rider exiting Turn 6 on the second lap put him on the ground and out of the running. Darryn surged up to the points and was located in the third group. He made a mistake and ended the Grand Prix adrift in 19th.
Darryn Binder, 19th: “There were tricky conditions with some crashes around me. I got a good start and tried to settle into my own rhythm while working all through the race but, unfortunately, I came into Turn 6 on the same line as before although this time closed the front [end]. I was able to restart and continue the race to gain some information and to keep working forwards.”
Senna Agius, DNF: “I went into Turn 6 with my normal line and I saw that another rider had gone super-wide and off the track. I’d already done the corner, so I just found this other bike in front of me. I think it was reckless that he cut back like that. I’m super-disappointed but we shouldn’t be in this part of the pack where these stupid things are happening. We need to be better in qualifying so we’re not in similar situations through the first laps. This will make life much better.”
Results Moto3 Spanish Grand Prix
1. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP 33:29.725, 2. David Muñoz (ESP) KTM +0.045, 3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) KTM +0.871, 7. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +10.400, 11. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO +19.152, 12. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 +19.921, 16. Vicente Perez (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +22.382, 22. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +45.326, 25. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP +1 lap, DNF. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO
World championship standings Moto3
1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 74 points, 2. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO, 68, 3. Collin Veijer (NED) Husqvarna IntactGP, 46, 10. Jacob Roulstone (AUS) Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, 23, 11. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN) Husqvarna IntactGP, 22, 13. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 20, 14. Joel Esteban (ESP) CFMOTO, 20, 21. Xabi Zurutuza (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 3
Results Moto2 Spanish Grand Prix
1. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) 35:36.316, 2. Joe Roberts (USA) +1.287, 3. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) +1.568
9. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo +14.508, 12. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO +21.779, 14. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +32.146, 19. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna IntactGP +1 lap, DNF. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO, DNF. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna IntactGP
World championship standings Moto2
1. Joe Roberts (USA), 69 points, 2. Sergio Garcia (ESP), 64, 3. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP), 54, 9. Celestino Vietti (ITA) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 29, 18. Izan Guevara (ESP) CFMOTO, 4, 19. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 3, 21. Senna Agius (AUS) Husqvarna IntactGP, 2, 23. Darryn Binder (RSA) Husqvarna IntactGP, 1, 30. Jake Dixon (GBR) CFMOTO, 0
