Pedro Acosta: "MotoGP? It doesn’t scare me, I’m used to the pressure" | Exclusive

If the single test day held at Valencia ahead of the 2024 season had assigned a world title, the champion in terms of visibility would undoubtedly have been Marc Marquez, as he debuted with the Ducati-Gresini.

But there was another Spaniard not far behind in this respect, Pedro Acosta a very worthy runner-up in his ability to attract photographers and journalists, both when climbing aboard the GASGAS KTM and when talking to his technical staff.

Pedro Acosta, the exclusive interview

On that day, Tuesday 28 November, the eight-time champion took centre stage during the sessions at Ricardo Tormo and will undoubtedly be under observation throughout the 2024 season, but the current Moto2 champion will also be in the spotlight. Already at Valencia, people were quite to admire his riding and curious to see him interact with his new work group, carefully put together by Pierer Mobility, which wanted Acosta in the reigning class at all costs, despite the risk of ‘burnout’ and his very young age: “If I’m really honest – admits Pedro, already an expert when it comes to involving his interviewer – I struggle to remember a time when I wasn’t under the microscope. If I look back, I realise that I don’t even know what it’s like to be on track without eyes on me – I’ve always been followed by a camera”.

When did you realise you were a cover star?

“Right from my debut in Moto3, in 2021. I came to the world championship after winning the Red Bull Rookies Cup. In my first race, at Lusail, I finished second in the race and my phone was immediately blowing up, so many messages and calls that the screen locked. It was making strange noises and I had to buy a new one. It was crazy. And then the next weekend, also in Qatar, I won the race from pitlane…”

Not a bad start, considering your rookie status.

“I immediately had to learn to cope with the pressure, living with it, carrying it on my shoulders. Right from my world championship debut, in Moto3, the expectations regarding my performance and results were very high. And even more so when I debuted in Moto2 after winning as a minor in Moto3. I started well in the 2022 tests, then struggled between Qatar and Indonesia, with too many DNFs. The pressure reached a high. Then I got injured, but I got to the top anyway”.

Pedro Acosta, his first time in MotoGP

Speaking of the top, in your first outing with the MotoGP you set the eighteenth fastest time, a 1’30”476, just 1”223 from Maverick Viñales.

“Yes, and I was really happy with that first session riding the MotoGP. I even had fun actually. Those tests went better than I could have dreams. I understood so much, and now I’ll gradually put it all together”.

For example?

“My body – over winter I planned to dedicated a lot of time and training to my physical resistance, considering how different it is to Moto2. On a MotoGP prototype nothing is easy, or perhaps just travelling along the straight. During that single day of testing I didn’t touch the bike, but will do so during the first 2024 test at Sepang”.

Were you impressed by the RC16?

“It definitely has the character of a pure race bike. It reminds me of the Moto3 in terms of the riding position, with a high seat and your body weight more towards the front. If the Moto2 was a combination of race setup and road engine, this KTM is definitely a race bike, in every sense! The dash has thousands of lights, there are many buttons to active and deactivate, very sensitive movement. Moving just a touch can cause you to lose stability and precision. The bike immediately reacts to any incorrect body movement. There are so many things to remember, otherwise…”.

You end up crashing.

“Exactly, I did crash at Turn 2 in fact, but anyway. I wanted to enter the corner fast, despite the fact the bike had already ‘warned’ me. My mistake, it happened, but it’s better to make mistakes now, during this learning phase, than later. Seeing how fast Viñales and Alex Rins are through the turns, I wanted to try it. Now I know what not to do, but it was a shame, as I could have taken a few tenths off my best time, as I felt I’d be quicker on that lap than I had been up until that point”.

How would you sum up the test?

“Overall, I was satisfied with that initial approach on the MotoGP. It was, and will be, important to lay solid foundations on which to build every weekend”.

Pedro Acosta, in MotoGP with Tech 3

You’ll be managed by Team Tech 3, which boasts expert technicians

“And so many of them (he laughs). When I’d come back to the garage in Moto2, there were five people around me. But now, in my corner of the Team GASGAS garage, I’m surrounded by maybe 30 people, each one responsible for a part of the RC16. The suspension technicians, electronic engineers, tyre guys, people taking care of the settings and engine, all on hand. Amazing! Everywhere I turned, there was someone ready to help me. And there was one really nice moment”.

What happened?

“I’ve inherited Pol Espargaró’s crew chief, Paul Trevathan, who kindly asked ‘How can I help you?’. I replied: ‘No, tell me how I can help you’. That shows how open the work group is with me. Having people who know how to work will make it easier to tackle any situation, starting with the riding itself”.

Can you describe your first impressions?

“You go out on track and, firstly, you want to warm the carbon brakes along pitlane. And already that’s not easy. Then the tyres, which also need to be brought to the correct temperature, so you avoid any unwanted movement also along the straight. Then come the corners, which you set up after deactivating the lowering device - I tried to turn with the device switched on and was laughing to myself. I found good pace only when imagining the different complicated automatisms”.

Automatisms that, on the Moto2, brought you a second world title.

“The 2023 season was incredible, fantastic, successful, but also challenging. I was really tired by the end of the championship, despite celebrating. The tripleheader was tough. But I had a wonderful team, Team Ajo, guys with whom we exploited the experience gained in 2022, a year that began with a few crashes but that we were able to turn round after I took a step forward mentally speaking”.

And your riding appeared to improve too.

“I felt more rounded as a rider. Together with the team, already in 2022, we changed the way we worked on the bike and, as a result, something changed in terms of my riding”.

What else in terms of your development?

“There was one thing recently. During the lunch break at the Valencia test, I stopped for a second and, looking at some photos published on Instagram, I thought: ‘I don’t feel like myself, racing in red’. After years of competing in KTM orange, wearing another colour is an odd sensation. But it’s a great image, and the bike was a competitive RC16, as confirmed by Brad Binder in the last ten races with his great results and top five position in the standings. I think we’ll have a really great KTM in 2024 and 2025.

Another new thing is your number, 31, where does that come from?

“37 was already in use (by his team-mate Augusto Fernandez). That’s my real race number, but it’s not available. So I came up with a number that looks similar. And 31 comes close, if you look carefully. So that’s why I chose it, for visual reasons. And I’m starting to like it”.

All in all, a positive start then.

“Very positive! I really appreciated the bike and can’t wait to ride it again. I have a very experienced and great group of professionals there for me in the garage. The commitment of the Pierer Mobility Group was clear to see, as those around me are very competent and qualified. And I also have more of an idea about my future rivals”.

Marc Marquez will be one of these – how did he look on the Desmosedici?

“His riding! So fast, relaxed. Marquez is going to be on it, I know that already. When he came back into the Gresini garage, sat down, took his helmet off and… that smile… I thought: ‘Okay, we’re going to have one more problem in 2024’. Joking aside, we all know what Marc’s like, it’s no surprise, we all know what he’s done over the last twelve years”.

Marc looked prepared at Valencia, but so did you.

“That was my goal. Mainly, I wanted to understand what to do, and then I can study and check everything during the next tests. I know we’re in for a long season, with 22 rounds and the Sprint races too, and i twill be essential to learn everything about MotoGP. But this first approach with the RC16, the new team and everybody involved was really important. The road is very long, and there are an infinite number of steps to take, but we’ve started out on the right foot, and this means I could relax over the winner. But I’m already focused on this new adventure – I’m eager to learn and grow.”