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Pedro Acosta is known by many in the paddock as the “predestined one”: that rider who could leave a mark on an era, like Doohan, Rossi, and Marquez did before him, just to name a few. The Spanish rider entered the World Championship paddock and immediately stood out in the Rookies Cup, ending his first season in second place, then dominating the second season.
At that point, it was clear to everyone how great his talent was, which then allowed him to make his debut as a winner in the the Moto3. During that season, Acosta demonstrated that he’s an extraordinary talent, with the calmness of a serial killer, rather than a teenager riding a motorcycle. His success then continued in the Moto2, in which he won the title in the second season and was promoted into the MotoGP with GasGas.
But these victories, this talent, all this attention, also come at a very high price, and Pedro talked about it in a podcast, where he explained how difficult it was to live with high expectations on his shoulders.
“I don’t know what it’s like to ride without a camera following you into the paddock. I remember that, at my first test, I was second behind Masia, then I also finished second in the race. I remember my phone went crazy. I couldn’t unlock the screen anymore. It made strange sounds. I had to buy a new one! I really don’t know what it means to live a championship without being under pressure.”
Pressure that has never decreased, even with his transition into theMoto2.
“It was hard to get into the Moto2, as you can imagine. I was under so much pressure, because I had won the Moto3 on my debut. Expectations were high. In the first test, I immediately finished in front of everyone. But, in reality, I didn’t understand how I was able to do it, either.”
Acosta won his first Moto2 race in the 8th round of the World Championship, but he thought he could’ve done it sooner.
“Maybe I wasn’t sure I could win right away but, at least, I could get good results and get on the podium sometime at the beginning of the season. Then we raced in Qatar, and I finished twelfth in the race. In Indonesia, I was eighth, and then I had a long series of long zeros. The pressure was skyrocketing.”
Today, we know that Pedro handled the pressure well, becoming Moto2 champion in his second season. The last step is the MotoGP, but the rider from Spain seems to have built a thick-enough skin to take the blow.
