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Pedro Acosta Ambitiously Eyes Competitiveness Despite Crashes at Japanese GP

MotoGP rookie sensation Pedro Acosta refuses to shy away from the competition, even as his KTM team faces challenges against Ducati’s powerful presence on the track. Following a thrilling yet tumultuous Japanese Grand Prix weekend, where Acosta showcased his speed but also endured two crashes, he remains resolute in his competitive spirit.

During the race weekend at Motegi, Acosta clinched his first MotoGP pole position, marking a significant milestone in his career. However, in his pursuit of an elusive victory, he pushed the limits, leading to a crash during the sprint race and another tumble while battling Francesco Bagnaia in the grand prix.

Acosta’s performances have solidified him as the primary challenger to the formidable Ducati lineup as the season progresses. Undeterred by his missteps, he is committed to proving that success is within reach, declaring, “I’m not going to accept that the Ducati is better than the KTM, even if that leads to me crashing some more times.”

While acknowledging the current gap in performance between his KTM bike and Ducati, Acosta emphasizes the importance of persistence: “We know that we’re not at Ducati’s level at the moment. But we saw that it’s not impossible to get there and that they’re not untouchable. We’ve seen that we can fight with them.”

With his position in the championship standing at sixth, Acosta recognizes the risks associated with racing against formidable competitors like Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, both contending for the world title. He remarked, “There is little chance of beating the Ducati. There are times in life when you have to gamble. And even more so when Pecco [Bagnaia] is in front. He’s not going to risk it, but I am.” This fearless attitude showcases Acosta’s unyielding determination to compete at the highest levels.

Reflecting on the emotional highs and lows of the weekend, Acosta did not shy away from admitting the frustration tied to his crashes. He described Sunday’s incident as “stupid,” echoing sentiments from Saturday’s race. Yet, he also recognized the personal significance of the weekend: “In one way, it was the saddest weekend of my career, and in another, it was the one where I had the best feeling.” He expressed that while this weekend marked a peak in competitiveness, it also resulted in self-induced troubles.

Acosta’s efforts resonated within the broader KTM team, where factory rider Brad Binder displayed commendable performance by finishing as the leading non-Ducati rider in sixth place following a strong showing in practice. Though Jack Miller faced difficulties, qualifying in fourteenth and finishing the grand prix in tenth, Acosta emphasized the importance of having multiple KTMs competing closely: “It’s important for the factory [to have more KTMs at the front]. Like this we can have more information, and that’s going to be important for us at the next couple of grands prix.” He highlighted the challenges of extracting useful data from disparate lap times when teammates are not in close contention.

Source
www.autosport.com