The Dutchman finishes 5th at the Thai Grand Prix and Jose Antonio Rueda is forced to retire after being hit by another rider.

An eventful Thai Grand Prix for the Moto2 class saw two red flags shown over the course of the Sunday race. Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Collin Veijer managed to finish in fifth position, for his fourth Top 5 placing in the class. Teammate Jose Antonio Rueda was taken out by another rider on the first lap of the third start, bringing his race to a premature end.

When the first red flag incident occurred, both Veijer and and Rueda had made good starts from 6th and 24th on the grid, respectively. The crash at Turn 10 forced the field back to the pits. After the restart, the two Red Bull KTM Ajo pair were unable to complete a full lap before another crash involving two more riders at Turn 3 brought out the red flag for a second time.

Almost an hour after the original start time, the Moto2 race was finally able to proceed normally, albeit shortened to just seven laps.

Veijer once again held a Top 5 position, after a great braking move on the entry to Turn 3. From then on, the Dutchman had to fight to try and keep up with the four leading riders, who had built a small advantage over the rest of the field from the outset. Despite his persistence, the gap widened to two seconds, leaving the Red Bull KTM Ajo man on his own. He then managed the remaining laps to secure his first Top 5 finish of the season, claiming 11 points.

Rueda had his first Moto2 contest brought to an ignominious conclusion, as on the first lap of the third start, a collision with Zonta van den Goorbergh sent both riders to the ground at the entrance to Turn 9. Although the reigning Moto3 World Champion escaped unharmed, his bike stalled after the crash, which, under the new protocol, forced the rookie to retire from the race.

After a good weekend overall, chaos was the main feature of this Moto2 race in Thailand. On the one hand, it went well for Collin, who achieved his first good result of the season. On the other hand, it did not go so well for Jose Antonio, who will have to wait until Brazil to try to finish his first Moto2 Grand Prix. Next up is the Brazilian Grand Prix, which will take place in three weeks at the Autódromo Internacional de Goiana – Ayrton Senna from March 20-22nd.

Race Results
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 11:11.575
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | +0.099
3. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | +0.454
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | +1.138
5. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +2.667
DNF. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | +7 laps

Moto2 World Championship Standing 2025
1. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 25 points
2. Izan Guevara (Boscoscuro) | 20 points
3. Daniel Holgado (Kalex) | 16 points
4. Ivan Ortola (Kalex) | 13 points
5. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 11 points
20. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 0 points

Moto2 Teams World Championship Standing 2025
1. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP | 25 points
2. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 | 21 points
3. CFMOTO Aspar Team | 16 points
4. QJMOTOR – PONT GRUP – MSI | 13 points
5. ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | 12 points
6. Red Bull KTM Ajo | 11 points

NIKLAS AJO – Team Manager

“Regardless of what happened in the race, the weekend was quite good for the team. Collin had a decent pace from the beginning, and was among the fastest riders in all the Practices. What happened today didn’t favour him, because he was one of the strongest riders here with used tyres, but it is what it is. Finishing in the Top 5, which is our target, is a good way to start the season. Jose Antonio has made very good progress since the Winter Test. Of course, it’s difficult for him because of the injury that reduced his time on a Moto2 bike, but he has improved a lot since we were in Jerez two weeks ago. This weekend, he improved every time he got on bike and was closer and closer to the front, but unfortunately today in the race he was taken out by another rider. The most important thing is that he’s OK. We can be confident that he will get closer with every weekend.”

#95 COLLIN VEIJER 

“My first start wasn’t amazing, but we were able to hold onto fifth position. I tried to stay with the frontrunners to battle at the end of the race, but then the red flag came out. The second start wasn’t too good either, but another red flag was shown, so we effectively had a sprint race, which I’m not particularly strong at. I struggled a bit to find my pace during the first few laps, and by the time I started to get there it was too late. The result was quite good because a Top 5 finish is what we’re aiming for, so I’m happy with that.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“It was bit of a strange race today, with two red flags and not many laps in total. I was able to learn a little about how to deal with the start of a race from the first attempt, but we couldn’t really go any further than that. I think what I’ll find most difficult is adapting to riding with a full tank and the close racing that happens on the first few laps, but I’m sure we’ll manage. It’s a shame about the outcome of the race, because the crash wasn’t my fault and I couldn’t do anything about it. Now it’s time to go home and prepare for the next challenge, which will be in Brazil in a few weeks.”