Is Pedro an unstoppable force?
In case you weren’t already aware, Pedro Acosta may be the next MotoGP superstar. The 17-year-old broke multiple records last year to become Moto3 World Champion at the first attempt. He outshone everybody that came before him in the class, including Marc Marquez. He even won from a pitlane start!
He moves straight into Aki Ajo’s all-conquering Moto2 team, but surely this will be a harder challenge? Think again. Based on pre-season testing, it looks like Acosta will do just fine.
The young Spaniard was fast at a private Jerez test, but then went and broke the lap record at Portimao during the official test. Acosta posted a 1:41.552 to put himself +0.154s ahead of the chasing pack. His lap-time was almost a second faster than the all-time record set by Remy Gardner (1:42.447).
Acosta has been working hard to ensure that he’s able to handle the bigger Moto2 bikes, putting on three kilos so far ahead of the season. Getting physically stronger has been one of his most important targets. Aside from that, Acosta admits that he hasn’t had to make many other changes.
“I don’t know if in the future
I will have to change it, but for the moment I’m trying to keep my riding as before as much as possible,” he said. “The biggest difference right now is that I don’t need to touch the clutch.”
We saw last year that Acosta has excellent race craft, and even in Moto3 he looked a cut above the rest with his riding style and cleverness. Off the circuit, he does well to keep the pressure off his shoulders too. He’s not one to gloat about his talent or to get too far ahead of himself.
“The approach is the same as last year in Moto3, I went into the season without any predetermined objective. Before we reach the race in Qatar there are the practice sessions and then qualifying. After that, I’ll see how ready I am for the race. For now, there’s no need to think about what might happen.”
It’s already looking like Acosta could be the next ‘once-in-ageneration talent’, following in the footsteps of Marquez and Valentino Rossi as a very special rider. He’s already been linked with a swift move to MotoGP, with KTM being the obvious destination. HRC may also ponder a swoop. Acosta’s manager says he “isn’t worried about anything other than Moto2 right now,” but that he is confident about KTM’s evolution in MotoGP.
As for Acosta himself: “Let’s take it step-by-step. As I say, as there is no concrete objective this year, we’re not thinking about MotoGP. We want to be calm.”
Wise words from a wise teenager. Moto2, beware!
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PEDRO ACOSTA
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