MOTORSPORT – The new MotoGP season starts this weekend in Thailand. Collin Veijer from Staphorst has already announced a spectacle in the Moto2 class. He wants to compete in the top five this season.
Last season it seemed that Collin Veijer would be the only Dutchman in the Moto2 class this year. But after a management change, the RW Racing team from Dwingeloo decided to work with Zonta van den Goorbergh again at the end of the season.
For Dutch racing fans this means another season full of spectacle.
It is Collin Veijer’s second season in Moto2. This started with difficulty last year, partly because his nephew Sid died at the age of 7 at the beginning of last year and was injured after a fall. But in the second half of 2025 he was continuously in the top ten, culminating in second place in Portugal. Expectations are high this season.
“I think finishing in the top five this year is one of my most important goals. We have to take it step by step. I think this is an ambitious but realistic goal,” Veijer said on his own website.
The rider of the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team says he is more focused and worries less. “Now I understand every situation much better, and that also helps me feel good about myself and my surroundings off the court.”
During the test at the Jerez circuit, Veijer made a good impression. He managed to ride many laps on his KTM and eventually recorded the thirteenth fastest time. Zonta van den Goorbergh ended the test day in 24th place. But the Momoven Idrofoglia RW Racing Team thinks it is completely ready for the Grand Prix start. In addition to Van den Goorbergh, the Japanese Ayumu Sasaki will also play for the Drenthe team again.
“Winter has flown by and we have already arrived in Thailand,” says Van den Goorbergh. “After the test days in Portimão and Jerez, I’m curious to see how it will go in completely different circumstances. I’m really looking forward to getting started and I can’t wait to hit the track on Friday.”
Although the drivers have remained the same, RW Racing starts this season with a number of new faces. The Dwingelder entrepreneur Roelof Waninge, founder of the RW Racing Team and pacesetter for many years, has taken a step back. His son Sjarno and daughter Joyce have taken over the team management. Team manager Jarno Jansen had to leave at the end of last season after thirteen years following a difference of opinion with the new team management. He has made way for a Spaniard.
The changes are not yet complete. Fans of the Drenthe racing team should no longer look for blue and white motorcycles in the field, but for orange ones with black tones.
The race weekend at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand starts with training on Friday and Saturday. The MotoGP will hold a sprint race on Saturday. The matches are on Sunday. Veijer and Van den Goorbergh will start at 7.15 am Dutch time.
