Pedro Acosta has revolutionized the World Cup in its first season in the premier category. Moto3 and Moto2 Champion, the ‘Tiburón’ from Mazarrón has burst onto the grid with talent and without complexes, adding three podiums in his debut. He arrives at the Catalunya GP after suffering his first crash in the race, in France, a bucket of cold water that, however, does not lower his expectations. He wants to win and is convinced that he will get it sooner rather than later. If he achieves it before the German GP (July 7) he will break the absolute precocity record held by Márquez, at 20 years and 63 days. Pedro turns 20 this Saturday, May 25.
His spectacular start to the season has put him in the spotlight. How are you doing?
We are not yet at the point where we want to be, at the level we are looking for, so there is a lot left for it to mean something.
Does it put extra pressure on you?
I am used to pressure, since I entered the World Cup it has always been like this. The first year because of what happened, because of the Moto3 title, the second, because of how badly I started in Moto2, the third, because of knowing where I was going to race in MotoGP and this year because of how well it is going… I have been living for four years with that constant pressure. You get used to it or you die.
What is the secret of your rapid adaptation to MotoGP?
Well, simply because I have a good time riding a motorcycle and I have the best possible team around me, KTM has made a wise choice of the people who accompany me in this first year.
[Consulta la clasificación del Mundial de MotoGP]
Has your specific physical preparation changed for the category?
After the first test in Valencia I focused on increasing my back because I saw that the other drivers were broader in the shoulders and more defined than me. That’s all. I haven’t had any problems with compartment syndrome or anything. I have gained two kilos and that helps me look a little bigger.
Although it may seem like his sporting career is a bed of roses, he hasn’t always had it easy…
Especially the first steps. People only remember the Pedro Acosta who won the Rookies Cup and six races in a row, reached the World Cup and also won and come on, the rise to fame… but it has not been that simple. In the CEV there were very strong people, like Raúl Fernández, Alcoba, Sergio García… a great situation, we did not make the right choices due to external factors and there was a moment when the light went out quite a bit. We found ourselves without equipment, without knowing where we were going to race and I remember that I submitted the registration papers for the Rookies Cup on the last day. I was about to stay home.
His family took a mortgage so he could continue with his dream…
They mortgaged the boat, they bet on me without fear of losing everything. They took the risk, because I already told you that without a boat, my father and grandfather would die. Thank God it turned out well and now if I am who I am and I am here it is thanks to that bet and that boat.
Once you have overcome all the obstacles, have you always been sure that you would reach the top?
I have always trusted my expectations and training so much has forced me to believe them. You look for luck and I try to look for it every day.
Do you learn a lot by following the stars of the championship on the track?
The easiest thing in life is to copy and by going after the good riders you learn, it gives you a lot of information about what they do with the body, because now in MotoGP, with so much electronics, it is difficult to differentiate when the bike is pulling, if it is because of the motorcycle or by the pilot. I look at his movements to see how I can adapt it to my style.
From your first year in Moto2, which was quite difficult, what have you learned that will help you now in your debut in MotoGP?
To take things easy. After winning in Moto3 I wanted to burn stages too quickly and I think that’s why I’m now having a better first year in MotoGP.
Do you see your first victory close?
I like to win and I am the first one who wants to achieve it, but I think it takes time and doing things well for that first victory to come.
Are you motivated to break the record? Marquez and be the youngest winner in MotoGP history?
It is not my goal, nor is it any priority right now.
Does it bother you that you are constantly compared to Marc?
Well, it is a benchmark for the category. Being compared to him is always good.
Others, like his manager Albert Valera, compare him more to Lorenzo, who always says what he thinks…
I think we are quite similar in character, with strong personalities. Albert knows us both well and knows what he’s talking about. I didn’t know Jorge and I have realized that we do have a lot in common.
What is your relationship with Dani Pedrosa like and to what extent has your work as a KTM tester been important to you?
Dani is what they call Racing Corona. It’s a shame that for all the things that have happened to him he hasn’t gotten any MotoGP title, because he deserved not one, but one every year he has raced. His help is being essential. If Dani makes a motorcycle for him, he makes a motorcycle easier for others, because of his physical shortcomings, because of how small he is, he makes it easier for those of us who are larger.
What things help you keep your feet on the ground in the midst of the Acosta boom?
Every Sunday I return home, to Murcia, and I see people who risk their lives fishing to bring home a plate of food. That is the most humble thing in the world and what my life is based on.
Have you considered moving from Mazarrón?
No not at all. I stay there so happy.
How is fame in such a small town?
We all know each other there and they are the usual people. They have known me since I was born and for them I am not Pedro Acosta the pilot, I am the child who lives there. I go around town and people greet me, but I go about my life, quietly.
His life is motorcycles. Apart from that, do you have any hobbies?
Few, few, and the truth is that I would like to have more, but if it hasn’t changed in 20 years, I think there is no solution.
Do you feel like you’ve missed something compared to kids your age? Parties, clubs…
No, since I haven’t experienced it, I don’t miss it. In a busy mind there is no time to think and I am happy with what I do.
Do you have friends at the grill?
Few. The relationship with Jorge Martín has been growing in recent years, when our worlds have come together a little, with Aleix Espargaró, the same. The only real friend I had here was Remy Gardner and he’s gone. And then with Alex Escrig we have known each other since the days of the Rookies Cup… so few, but enough.
He has been critical of the new 2027 regulations…
Not so much. I could have been more critical… I think that if we make a change, let it not be a half-hearted change, I say it how I feel.
What would your proposal be?
I would remove more spoilers, to have motorcycles like the ones I have always had. I respect the change in displacement and that all output devices have been removed. But I would have liked them to remove more aerodynamics because that’s what makes the current MotoGP bikes so fast. We are at the end of the straight, no matter how fast we go. We don’t fall. The problem is the curves, the circuits become small and the wall is getting closer and closer.
What result will you be satisfied with at the end of the season?
Anyone, as long as it is taking the steps we have to take. We don’t set goals or specific results, just improve, which is what next year can lead me to fight for something important.
2024-05-24 07:41:04
#Pedro #Acosta #Luck #sought #day
