Suzuki grabs top 7 result in Indonesia, Veijer crashes leading
LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Moto3 rider Collin Veijer led for more than half of the race before a crash dashed his hopes of victory. Team-mate Tatsuki Suzuki kept the German team's flag flying high with a well-deserved seventh place.
On the Indonesian island of Lombok, the ultimate heat battle awaited on the fifteenth race Sunday of the season, making the 20 laps seem endless. Right from the start, it was Collin Veijer who set the tone after the Dutchman took the lead on the first lap. The 19-year-old youngster always responded to a few attacks by his rivals by recapturing the top position, which he held onto until turn 8 on the twelfth lap. This fast left-hand bend marks the spot where the then third-placed rider in the world championship threw a potential victory into the gravel with a brutal front slide. Fortunately, Veijer left the crash scene, full of disappointment, but on his own two feet. The aim is to put this setback behind him before the Japan Grand Prix next weekend. He will now continue his journey to Motegi in fourth place and try to make up for this bitter setback in the world championship battle.
As the lights went out on the 4.3 kilometre Pertamina Mandalika Street Circuit, Tatsuki Suzukijumped from seventh on the grid to fifth position. A strong group of ten quickly formed, which dwindled to seven riders at the end of the 20-lap battle due to a number of crashes. While the Japanese rider's team-mate set the pace, the 26-year-old took every opportunity to make up positions and Suzuki was temporarily in second place behind Collin Veijer, but the eventual race winner, David Alonso, was already putting on pressure from behind. Five laps before the end, the rider with starting number 24 had to go wide and lost several positions as a result. Suzuki was no longer able to actively intervene in the hectic final battle and achieved a top result with seventh place, which added another nine points to his championship account.
For the second stop of the six-week overseas tour, the Intact GP squad will now head even further east to Japan, where the sixteenth Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi from the 4th - 6th of October could already decide the Moto3 title. Collin Veijer is determined to prevent this from happening.
Results
Race
1. David ALONSO/ COL/ CFMOTO
2. Adrian FERNANDEZ/ SPA/ HONDA – (+0.085)
3. David MUÑOZ/ SPA/ KTM – (+0.225)
7. Tatsuki SUZUKI/ JPN/ HUSQVARNA – (+1.300)
World Championship
1. ALONSO David/ COL – 296
2. HOLGADO Daniel/ SPA – 199
3. ORTOLA Ivan/ SPA – 191
4. VEIJER Collin/ NED – 189
13. SUZUKI Tatsuki/ JPN – 72
Team Classification
1. CFMOTO ASPAR TEAM – 340
2. MT HELMETS -MSI – 277
3. LIQUI MOLY HUSQVARNA INTACT GP – 261