Deal Confirmed: Collin Veijer to Move Up to Moto2 for 2025
It was foreseeable and yet it is a bit of a surprise: Collin Veijer will move up to Moto2 in 2025. The Dutchman joins with Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Collin Veijer has had his first experience with Moto2 machinery, and it’s clear from his assessment of the private Jerez test that the two-day session was very rewarding and a great first step in the intermediate class. To round off 2024, the Dutchman completed a full 180 laps of Moto2 testing.
“I’m definitely tired now,” he admitted after the weekend. “The two days were very productive, but also very intense.” For next year’s Moto2 rookie, the focus for his first day on new machinery was getting familiar with the bike and building a feeling for how it handles.
“On Thursday, it was all about getting an impression and establishing the right feeling,” he explained. “We didn’t make any changes or experiment with anything, not even the tires.”
On Friday, things changed a bit. With Veijer comfortable on the bike, the Ajo KTM Team started to experiment with the setup. “After a few laps, I was immediately back at the level of Thursday evening. And once we put on new tires, I was over a second faster right away.”
“We worked together to find out what each adjustment did to the bike in almost every aspect, and I learned a lot.” As the day wore on, the Dutchman’s pace picked up. By the end of the session, Veijer was already looking strong in terms of lap times. “At the end, we were very close to times that you need in Jerez to be at the front.”
The Dutchman’s fastest lap wasn’t a fluke either. To top off the test, he and the team ran a full Moto2 race distance, completing 21 consecutive laps within range of Veijer’s fastest lap time of the test.
“We also did a full GP distance on Friday – 21 laps in a row,” he recalled his race simulation as one of the highlights of the test right after the “immense power of the bike and the constant wheelieing”.
