Austrian Moto3: Surprise pole for rookie Veijer

A perfectly timed run behind championship leader Daniel Holgado brought rookie Collin Veijer his first pole position in qualifying for the Austrian Moto3 round at the Red Bull Ring.

Lisa Lewis

19 Aug 2023

Collin Veijer, Moto3, Austrian MotoGP, 19 August

Liqui Moly Intact GP rider Collin Veijer found the optimum track position to claim his first pole position in qualifying for round ten of the Moto3 championship in Austria.

In a session peppered with cancelled laps the rider from the Netherlands made sure of a banker, moving into fifth when only ten riders had set a clean run. The #95 then chipped away at his time to climb to third with three minutes remaining.

Finding championship leader Daniel Holgado, who was on top at the time, ahead of him on track allowed the Husqvarna rider to give chase and pull out a 1m 41.486 best, securing his first ever pole.

Holgado’s top lap on the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 was just 0.057s slower for second on the grid.

Deniz Oncu began the session in dramatic fashion, stalling his bike in the pits and being given a push from an Angeluss mechanic to get moving again.

Circulating with teammate Jose Antonio Rueda allowed him a turn at a tow, pulling him around in the third best time, while helping Rueda to fifth.

Jaume Masia arrived with the top time in practice after topping P3 earlier in the day and was set for a final run with his Leopard teammate Tatsuki Suzuki, which looked certain to take over at the top.

The duo came along Stefano Nepa seemingly tucked in - in race mode, but riding slowly, only just avoiding his Angeluss bike. Lap ruined, Masia lines up fourth.

Riccardo Rossi worked his way quietly up to sixth for SIC58 Squadra Corse, while Silverstone’s rookie winner David Alonso suffered a late crash at turn three from his GasGas Aspar, leaving him seventh.

Ayumu Sasaki was unusually not the top Husqvarna with his teammate on pole, he will be eighth on the grid ahead of CFMoto Racing’s Joel Kelso. The Australian qualified in ninth, with his last run ending as Masia had a moment in front. Sunday man David Munoz completed the top ten for BOE Motorsports.

Nepa placed eleventh with his incident to be reviewed after the session.

Ryusei Yamanaka was the best of the riders who came through Q1 taking 13th for Aspar just behind compatriot Suzuki in 12th.

Romano Fenati had a very early off but got in a run for 13th on the Rivacold Snipers bike.

Scott Ogden had no luck, with every rider he attempted to sit in behind bailing out of their attempt, leaving him the best of the Brits in 15th.

What happened in Q1?

The session was filled with the kind of touring behaviour that has lead to penalties before, with only Diogo Moreira, running solo up front not really involved.

Yamanka lead the way forward to the next session, jumping to the top of the timesheets late on. He was joined by long term session leader Matteo Bertelle (16th), Taiyo Furusato, who made his late lap behind Joshua Whatley count, and Ivan Ortola. Both Furusato and Ortola failed to get a time on the board in Q2.

Moreira, who after a strong start has seen his season tail off found himself in Q1 when his late P3 push was not enough to hit the top 14.

Again he was shuffled out and finished the session fifth for MT Helmets- MSI so will pull into the 19th grid slot on Sunday.

Xavier Artigas was podium finisher as recently as Texas, but has too seen his season stall. The CFMoto rider starts 22nd.

Whatley gave up looking for a tow on the VisionTrack bike as, with no time set the clock was ticking down, Furusato took advantage behind but with no slipstream ahead the best he could manage was 14th in the session (grid - 28th).

A late fall for Filippo Fariloi caused the yellow flags which cancelled the last laps on track.

Injuries and Replacements

All long term injured riders are back in action, there are however two extra wild card entires at the Red Bull Ring.

Tatchakorn Buasri (29th) returns for Honda Team Asia after a previous appearance at the Sachsenring.

Noah Dettwiler riders for CFMoto Racing PruestelGP, thanks to the efforts of his manager and mentor Tom Luthi. The eighteen year old has been to Spileberg previously in the Red Bull Rookies Cup. That track knowledge allowed him to find a better start than his fellow one-off rider in 23rd.