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In the Moto2 World Championship standings, the margin between Pedro Acosta and his pursuers is getting serious. With a third place in Japan, his third consecutive podium, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider took his lead over Tony Arbolino to 50 points, putting 93 lengths between himself and Jake Dixon, third in the championship. A margin that gives the 19-year-old some peace of mind in view of the last six rounds of the season, in which he hopes to better understand his position within the Pierer Mobility Group and the role and colors with which he’ll be making his MotoGP debut.
“What’s important is winning the title. It’s true that fifty points gives you peace of mind. At Le Mans we were even on points. Then I fell and dropped twenty-five points behind. Now we have the peace of mind of having a margin in case something happens, and we have to be happy about it,” Acosta said during an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS, where he admitted that he got the most out of what he could in Motegi.
“Throughout the entire weekend, Chantra and Ogura were ahead of the others. You have to accept that. The way the race started off, the podium was a good way to end the weekend,” the rider from Spain explained. “I lost ground at the start, and this caused the riders of the Asia team to fall back too. We got the most we could, and it would’ve been less if we had fallen after pushing too hard.”
Acosta has no doubts about what the key to his superiority in the championship is: “Steadiness. Last year, I had eight zeros, and now I only have one.” Instead, his future is much more uncertain, to the extent that, in Japan, he questioned his move to the MotoGP next season, despite KTM having asserted its option on him.
“It wasn’t nerves or anything. It’s reality. We need to be aware that they have to push for me, and I have to push for them. We all have to win in this relationship,” Pedro stressed, commenting on what he said about his possible stay in the Moto2 in 2024. “I understand KTM as a company, and I understand myself as a rider, so we have to be focused on our work and try not to make mistakes. I think that’s the most important thing now.”
Given the impasse with KTM, the Tiburón de Mazarrón could’ve been an interesting option for Honda, since they no longer have Marc Marquez.
“You have to be realistic. KTM brought me here and gave me an opportunity, they paid for my entire sporting career. They have a competitive bike, competitive teams, competitive people, and I believe that KTM will take a big step forward in the evolution of its bike,” Acosta said, reiterating his loyalty to the Mattighofen brand.
Precisely because of his dedication to the cause of his brand, if he had been in the shoes of the eight-time world champion, the 19-year-old rider would’ve made a very different choice.
“If I had been him, I would’ve appreciated how good it would've been to vbring a brand back and how good it is to fight for something I did,” Acosta said before learning about the separation between Marquez and Honda. “Marc is Honda’s living history. He’s been with them for ten years, and I think he’s carried the brand, winning many titles, and it would’ve been nice to win again with the same brand.”
