Acosta proves winning potential
Moto2 rookie outsmarts the series’ big guns to bag emphatic win at Aragon
He may not have fought for the championship as everyone was expecting at the start of the year but Pedro Acosta showed once again he is coming into his own in the intermediate class as the rookie romped to a dominant win just 12 weeks after fracturing his left femur in a motocross crash.
No one could live with the 18-year old at Aragon as he ran out a comfortable winner by 2.6s over Aron Canet and Augusto Fernandez. Acosta’s results since returning from the leg break have been eye-catching and way beyond his team’s expectations.
Fernandez established an early 1.8s lead but overworked his rear tyre and on a low-grip surface in track temperatures of 35°C, Acosta was smarter over the 21 laps than his adversaries. Aside from his final lap, all of the reigning Moto3 champion’s times were within 0.8s of his fastest lap. “The difference was managing the tyres,” Acosta said of his second Moto2 success. “Augusto was super strong in the beginning. But we recovered.”
His fourth in Austria and sixth at Misano followed on from the brilliant progression he showed before the injury. And Acosta admitted raised expectations after he broke lap records during preseason testing at Portimao and Jerez affected him negatively in the months that followed.
“In the beginning of the season everyone said, ‘Pedro Acosta will be the new Moto2 World Champion.’ Maybe this wasn’t the best way to start the season. The first three races weren’t so bad but we then had four zeroes in a row.”
Yet the Ajo team are not reigning world champions without reason and team boss Aki Ajo and Acosta’s experienced crew have helped him remain grounded. “Le Mans I was fast and from there we’ve been in a good way. From Mugello to here
I’ve finished each race in the top six. My team’s helped me to be calm. We’re here to learn and not do something crazy. If we have to finish fifth, we’ll finish fifth. No problem. The team has said, ‘We have to be calm. Don’t be so high on the good days and so down on the bad days. If today isn’t the day, that’s fine.’ This switch that the team gave to me was key.”
Teammate Fernandez was chosen to step up to MotoGP and replace Remy Gardner next year thanks to his experience and championship position. But some paddock names have suggested that seat could be something of a poisoned chalice. KTM bosses are well aware they will need a premier class spot for Acosta in 2024. And if Fernandez underwhelms in his opening premier class races, he may have to make way.
There was late heartbreak for Jake Dixon, who crashed out of the fight for fourth just six turns from the flag. The 26-year old was enjoying a solid race just hours after a warm-up crash at over 80mph destroyed his bike. The turn 12 crash was a headscratcher. “We looked at the data and I did nothing differently,” Dixon said. “This is why I’m so confused. I was thinking I could line them up into T14 and then draft by on the back straight. I braked identically to the lap before but for some reason I locked the front and crashed.”
‘We’re here to learn and not do something crazy’