The Dutch rider will start from Pole at the Spanish Grand Prix. Jose Antonio Rueda finishes 25th in Qualifying.

Collin Veijer took a career first Pole in Moto2 at the Spanish Grand Prix, also becoming the first rider from the Netherlands to achieve the feat in the class. Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Jose Antonio Rueda finished 25th in qualifying, on a positive day at his home Grand Prix.

Saturday began with some initial confusion in Jerez, as rain returned just before the start of FP2. With track temperatures at 17°C and 92% humidity, conditions were somewhat tricky for the Moto2 field.

Veijer started cautiously, avoiding taking unnecessary risks. However, the Dutchman still felt comfortable, positioning himself near the Top 10 during the first part of the session. After his pit stop, he was able to maintain his spot and even close the gap to the leading riders, finishing in 10th place with a best time of 1:55.536 after 15 laps. Rueda had a good feeling despite the challenging circumstances. He also made a pit stop, and across two stints consistently ran in the Top 20 until the final minutes of the morning practice, finishing 21st with a best time of 1:57.790 from 15 laps.

In the afternoon, the sun came out, allowing the intermediate class riders to contest Q1 and Q2 in much more favourable conditions than in the morning: Over 30°C track temperature and less than 60% humidity.

Rueda took part in Q1, working alone. The Spaniard managed to improve on his best time from Friday, even though the asphalt wasn’t as conducive to fast laps, and finished in 25th with a 1:40.691, 6 tenths of a second shy of qualifying for Q2. Rueda completed eight laps, and will start from the 9th row on Sunday. Veijer had gone straight into Q2. The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider placed third on his first run then, after his pit stop, put together a series of several masterful laps, reaching first place with a minute remaining and coming very close to the circuit record set on Friday. With a time of 1:39.101, he had to wait for his rivals’ times to make sure of pole, which eventually went his way for the first time in Moto2.

In conclusion, it was a great Saturday for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2, securing pole position for the first time in a long while. All in all, Collin Veijer will lead the starting grid tomorrow in a bid to bring some joy to the team, which will be aiming for another strong result with the local hero, Jose Antonio Rueda. The 21-lap Moto2 Spanish Grand Prix will start at 12:15pm (local time) on Sunday.

Qualifying Results
1. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:39.101
2. Alex Escrig (Forward) | 1:39.158 (+0.057)
3. Manuel Gonzalez (Kalex) | 1:39.196 (+0.095)
4. Senna Agius (Kalex) | 1:39.255 (+0.154)
5. Alonso Lopez (Kalex) | 1:39.256 (+0.155)
25. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:40.691 (+1.590)

#95 COLLIN VEIJER

“It was a great day today. This morning, the feeling was quite strange because the track was slippery and it difficult to ride, but then the sun came out and we could have a good Qualifying. In Q2, we managed to set some good laps and finally we claimed our first Pole Position in the intermediate class. I felt great and the team worked very well to give me the best possible bike, so I want to say thank you to all them. Now is the moment to focus on the race, which is not going to be easy. We want to fight at the front, so we’ll try to get a good start and enjoy the experience to the maximum.”

#98 JOSE ANTONIO RUEDA

“This second day comes to an end with better feelings than yesterday. We were able to take another step forward, and that’s important for tomorrow’s race. In FP2, we had to deal with the wet conditions, something I’ve hardly had to do with the Moto2 bike, so I had to get a feel for things more than the rest of the field. In the afternoon, Q1 went better for us; we improved our best lap, although we didn’t quite manage to put together a clean lap to move further up. Now we need to think about the race and give our best performance in front of our home crowd.”