RiderTua.com – Pedro Acosta finished the first day of MotoGP practice at Jerez in 6th place only 0.4 seconds behind the fastest rider Pecco Bagnaia. The GASGAS Tech3 team rookie advanced to the front row at the end of qualifying and was also able to overshadow the world champion from the factory Ducati team.
“I’m still not ready to do a fast lap alone on Friday afternoon. I will be a little more ready in qualifying. But Friday afternoon is really tough. It’s difficult to attack on a MotoGP bike,” explained the 19 year old rider.
To the Factory KTM Team This Season? Pedro Acosta : That’s a Stupid Thing
Riding a MotoGP bike with around 300 hp on a narrow track like Jerez is something new for Pedro Acosta. He explains that it is not about speed, but G force in the braking zone or in acceleration. From turn 1 to turn 2 everything goes so fast, even from turn 4 to 5, from 6 to 7 or from 10 to 11. This is a section that is not actually a straight racing line and the gas is not wide open.
Acosta had a wheelie and he had to control it with the gas and brakes. “It’s difficult to control everything on the track. It’s definitely easier when there’s one of the MotoGP legends in front of us, who knows how to ride and manages everything here. That helps a lot. FP1 is always our toughest practice session all weekend, but we’re in the right path,” added the rider nicknamed the Mazarron Shark.
Augusto Fernandez’s teammate added that the problem was that all the riders were very fast because everyone did a lot of testing here. Some also train on superbikes here. Everything is very tight in terms of time records, from Acosta (P6) to 10th position it only takes less than 0.1 seconds. The team will definitely take another step on Saturday, but right now Friday is always the most critical day.
Regarding rumors of a move to the factory KTM Red Bull team during this season, Acosta emphatically emphasized that it was stupid. He is happy with the crew, team and bike he has now. He had no reason to say he wanted to move. He’s just here to race and he wants to continue growing in this class and in the KTM family. He’s also not ready to say he wants to compete for anything and so on. He is also not ready to decide his future. Acosta is very pleased with Pierer Mobility Group’s support for him.”
