The Dutch rider scored his first Moto2 points at the Grand Prix of the Americas and continues to make steady progress in his adaptation to the new class.

Collin Veijer’s first points in Moto2 came in his third race. The Dutch rider, despite being in the midst of an adaptation process, showed his ability in the rain in Austin to score his first Top 10 in the intermediate class. Now, after a winter of hard work to understand his new bike, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie is looking to make further steps forward.

The jump from Moto3 to Moto2 is never easy and you know that very well. What does the Top 10 in Austin mean for you after a tough winter?

The Moto2 bike is quite different from the Moto3 bike, so the change is big. The start of the process wasn’t very easy, but we tried to handle it as well as possible. Of course, it was a tough winter, but the Top 10 in Austin confirms that the plan is working.

How did you approach the race in Austin? On Friday you already showed a good performance in the wet on a track you hadn’t tried on the Moto2. Are difficult track conditions a strong point for you?

On the Friday in wet conditions I felt quite confident. It was my first time in the wet there, and I enjoy riding in those conditions, both in Moto3 and Moto2. I think we made good progress through all the weekend and we learnt a lot about the wet tyre for the rest of the season, so I’m very happy with our performance.

It’s your first year at Red Bull KTM Ajo but you have a very good relationship with Deniz, Jose Antonio and Alvaro. How has the team welcomed you?

My relationships with Deniz, Jose Antonio and Alvaro are very good, and we get along well together. There is always fun, and we enjoy ourselves, so this is something very important for a team. I met Rueda some years ago in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, so he was quite a familiar face for me and I’m happy to share a team with him, Deniz and Alvaro. Joining Red Bull KTM Ajo has been a pleasure for me. The whole team have made me feel very welcome and I’m very proud to be able to work here.

“ Joining Red Bull KTM Ajo has been a pleasure for me. The whole team have made me feel very welcome and I’m very proud to be able to work here.”

You came to the World Championship in 2023 and in just two years and a few months, you have fought for the top positions in Moto3 and moved up to Moto2. Where do you think the Collin of the last two years needs to change, in terms of riding style??

We have had to change quite a lot about our riding style compared to the last two years in Moto3. It’s not too easy, so we just need a little bit of time to adapt to it and to get the feeling right with the Moto2. They are a very different bikes and one of the most important things to understand about Moto2 is how to change your style. I think that for the moment, this aspect is going quite well, we are understanding more and more and every time I go out, and the feeling is getting better.

As a frontrunner in Moto3, how have you worked mentally, knowing that adapting to the new class is going to take some time?

Adapting your mentality from being one of the top riders in Moto3 to being at the back in Moto2 is quite strange, but we knew that this would happen, so it’s not coming from out of nowhere. We just need to accept it and try to make it all the way up. This also motivates us to work hard to be at the front in Moto2.

AmericasGP has seen you score your first points as a Moto2 rider. In Thailand and Argentina things were a bit more difficult. What did you learn from each of those first rounds?

At the GP of the Americas I got my first points of the season and I felt very comfortable during the entire event. So we had a very good Sunday there. In Thailand, we learnt a lot because it was our first race and we were just adapting to Moto2, and we continued like that in Austin. In Argentina we didn’t have the right feeling with the front tyre, but the most important thing is that we recovered that this last weekend. However, overall, compared with the other two weekends, Austin was definitely the best one.

After this result, your confidence is boosted and your motivation increases. What are your goals for the remainder of the rookie season in Moto2?

I think this result will give us a lot of motivation for the rest of the season. We are going to work hard to stay at the front during the entire year, but we know this is not going to be easy. The next stop is Qatar, another new track for me with the Moto2 bike, so we just want to get more experience and try to get more points in the bag.

Aware of the difficulty of the challenge, Veijer takes on the responsibility of facing it with optimism. The tenth position achieved in Austin is the starting point to achieve other challenges during his rookie season in Moto2. His next stop, Qatar, will take place on 11, 12 and 13 April at the Lusail International Circuit.