The Dutchman finishes ninth in Q2, with Muñoz set to take off from seventeenth at Motegi.

Qualifying at Mobility Resort Motegi on Saturday saw Collin Veijer complete the third row of the grid, taking ninth position for the third time this season. Alongside him, Daniel Muñoz was unable to complete a perfect lap in the final minutes and had to settle for 17th on the grid.

After a Friday with ideal conditions, Saturday’s temperatures were only slightly lower for FP2 than in FP1, at 35ºC on track.

It was a somewhat strange session for Veijer, who focused on trying out different setups for the race. The Dutchman completed just 12 laps, and remained in the last positions after his initial run. After making changes with his team, he went back out on track in the final minutes to complete a very brief Time Attack, consisting of just two laps. In it, he climbed to 18th with a best lap of 1:49.322, one second behind the leader and just 3 tenths slower than in Practice. Muñoz used FP2 as a race simulation, working on his pace for Sunday over the course of 17 laps.  Initially in the Top 15, his lack of Time Attack meant he dropped down the order towards the end and ultimately, with a best time of 1:49.521, he placed 21st -just over a second off the top spot.

At 45ºC, track temperatures for Moto2 Qualifying were the hottest of the weekend to date.

Veijer had to wait until the final minutes of Q2 to set a competitive time. Initially, his first two flying laps were cancelled out, and he returned to the pits without completing a valid time. On his second run he was in 15th until the final lap, in which he rose to ninth place with the chequered flag already out, securing his spot on the third row. The Dutchman posted a 1:48.561, five-tenths faster than his previous best time of the weekend, with eight laps completed. Early on, Muñoz posted a time slightly better than in previous sessions, but not enough to leave the lower reaches of the Q2 timesheets. On his second attempt, with fresh tyres, he couldn’t put together a solid hot lap and had to settle for 17th on the grid, forming part of the sixth row. The Spaniard rode eight flying laps.

In conclusion, it was a consistent Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2, with two riders starting from the third and sixth rows to achieve the maximum number of points possible. The 19-lap Moto2 Japanese Grand Prix takes place from 12:15 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Qualifying Results
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:47.925
2. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 1:48.057 (+0.132)
3. David Alonso (Kalex) | 1:48.129 (+0.204)
4. Celestino Vietti (Boscoscuro) | 1:48.132 (+0.207)
5. Diogo Moreira (Kalex) | 1:48.153 (+0.228)
9. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:48.561 (+0.636)
17. Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:49.052 (+1.127)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“This morning was a bit difficult. We tried some things on the bike that didn’t work the way we wanted. Finally, our overall feeling was very good in qualifying. Two first laps were ruled out, but we finished with three decent laps that put us on the third row. I’m very happy with my performance, so we’ll try to continue with this hard work tomorrow. We want to get some valuable points here, so we will see what we are capable of in Sunday’s race.”

#17 DANIEL MUÑOZ

“It was a very positive day in which we learned a lot. The results weren’t quite what we had hoped for, as we lacked a perfect lap in qualifying, but we’re learning a lot, and that’s the important thing. Now it’s time to focus on tomorrow’s race, to fine-tune some more details and be as competitive as possible. We’ll try to make up positions and bring home some points, so it’s time to give it our all.”