Surprise pole at Jerez: Veijer stuns the field in Moto2, Vietti and Arbolino off the pace

Collin Veijer grabs his first Moto2 pole at Jerez—where are the Italians? Report and results.

The focus was on very different protagonists, but Collin Veijer surprises everyone. Pole position at Jerez is his, the first for the Dutch KTM Ajo rider in the Moto2 category. Great result also for Forward with Alex Escrig, who takes second place, while Manuel Gonzalez closes out the front row ahead of Senna Agius, winner of the last Grand Prix in Austin. Sadly, the Italians are nowhere to be seen: Celestino Vietti is 13th, just ahead of Tony Arbolino, who came through Q1, while Luca Lunetta stops prematurely due to technical problems in the first qualifying session. Here’s how it went.

After rain in FP2, the sun returns for this session at Jerez. Four spots up for grabs, Arbolino and Lunetta are among the protagonists, but the SpeedRS rookie stops after a few minutes due to a problem with his bike. Sasaki shines out front, Huertas also celebrates with 2nd place, and finally Canet and Arbolino secure the last available spots for Q2.

A full-on assault for the top grid slot for the Spanish GP. Unlike Moto3, it’s not just the home riders. Noted are the crashes of Sergio Garcia and Dani Munoz, while Alonso, the Intact GP duo, Veijer, and Escrig go on the attack. Izan Guevara, who had mixed it up but doesn’t complete his final attempts, goes down. The Italians are well back, while up front the pleasant surprise is Collin Veijer, who secures his first pole position in the Moto2 class, with Alex Escrig and Manuel Gonzalez completing the front row.